


Little Ladybird

by Lizzie Raine (particularlygeeky), particularlygeeky



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien salt, Alya Bashing, Angst, BIG BRO JASON, Chameleon Salt, Crossover, Daminette, Everyone loves Marinette, F/F, F/M, Fluff, I'll add more as I go, Lila Rossi - Freeform, Lila bashing, M/M, MariBat, Miraculous AU, Miraculous salt, Miss Bustier bashing, No Beta, Oh wait, adrien bashing, i slipped and fell into the daminette ship, liar rossi - Freeform, marinette getting the love she deserves, seriously, the Whole Nine Yards, this is the result, we thrive, who can't, whoops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 20:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20748341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/particularlygeeky/pseuds/Lizzie%20Raine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/particularlygeeky/pseuds/particularlygeeky
Summary: When Marinette goes on a field trip to Gotham and gets left behind by her class, she bumps into someone that happens to know Alfred, her godfather.  Shenanigans ensue.Cross posted on tumblr @particularlygeeky





	1. Jason

He ran into her first. Or, more accurately, she ran into him. She was a tiny slip of a girl with black hair that had a touch of blue in it and the biggest blue eyes he had ever seen, and he lived with Dick.

“Oh, je suis tellement desole!” she cried out. Her hands reached out to steady him, and Jason was shocked by her strength. She immediately started looking him over as if checking him for injuries.

“Are you alright miss?” he asked.

“Oui monsieur. I’m so sorry for running into you.” Her voice was heavily accented but she spoke English well. Jason definitely appreciated it because he did not speak French at all. Tim and Dick and probably Demon Spawn did, but not Jason.

“It’s okay, little lady. Are you alright? You seem a little panicked.” And she did. While she was intent on making sure he wasn’t hurt (_What the h-ll? I’m bigger _than_ her!_), she was also looking around the busy street, standing on her tiptoes as if she was looking for someone.

“I’m running late. My class is here on a trip and it seems they left me at the hotel. I’m trying to find them and see if I can catch up to them.”

_Hold on. What? They left her?_

“Miss, this is Gotham. Did they really leave you all by yourself in the city with the highest crime rate in the world?”

She shuffled her feet, and wouldn’t look him in the eye. That told him everything he needed to know. Maybe her teacher would be getting a meeting from Red Hood later that evening, probably the whole family, too, when he told Bruce and Dick about it. “Sweetheart, it’s not safe for you to be walking around by yourself. You could have gotten hurt.” He had definitely noticed a hulking thug slinking away when the girl ran into him.

The girl cocked an eyebrow at him. “You’re walking around by yourself.”

“I’m a lot bigger than you. There’s a lot less of a chance for them to hurt me than you. You’re tiny.”

She put her hands on her hips in a way that made Jason think of Babs. _Oh boy. This was not going to end well._

“I can take care of myself, thanks. And just because I’m short doesn’t mean that I can’t handle myself.”

“That may be. I obviously don’t know you at all, so I’m not going to say anything else that could be my butt kicked. However, I am going to ask if I can help you find your class.”

With a smile that seemed to make the sun shine through the dim light in Gotham, she nodded. “I think we were supposed to tour Wayne Enterprises today. Monsieur Wayne was the one that invited us to come to Gotham, since he is focused on outreach programs for kids in trouble. My class has had experience in it.”

_This must be the class that Bruce has been talking about for the last month. The class president submitted a paper that detailed everything the class had done for other people in Paris._

“You’re in luck, then. Wayne Enterprises is just a few blocks from here. I can show you the way, if you’d like.”

She nodded once.

“Great!” He stuck his hand out for her to shake. She took it with a moment’s hesitation. “Jason Todd. Nice to meet you, —?"

“Oh, I’m Marinette. Thanks for your help. I’m sure I would have gotten really lost since I have a horrible sense of direction and really bad luck.”

“Oh, I don’t know about the luck. You seem pretty lucky to me.” Jason noticed the way that Marinette stiffened slightly. “After all, you ran into me,” he added with a wink. He wasn’t the most charming of the Waynes for nothing, after all.

Marinette giggled, and Jason once again felt like the sun was shining in Gotham. “It seems as though I’ve been rescued by a knight in shining armor,” she teased, throwing back the wink. “Perhaps this kind knight would do this damsel-in-distress the honor of allowing her to escort him to the Tower?” She held out her arm, much like a gallant prince would when offering to escort a lady.

Jason grinned. He liked her. “I’m sure this handsome knight would be delighted, Princess.”

Marinette’s smile faded, her gaze on the pavement and her lipped being chewed viciously.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did I say something?”

She shook her head. “I guess, since you’re a stranger and don’t know anyone I know, it might be nice to tell someone. There’s this guy that’s been trying to get me to like him. He claims to love me, but whenever I try to turn him down, he throws a tantrum and has even left me in a few dangerous situations. He was my best friend for years, but he’s changed, and I would rather not have anything to do with him if I can. He would climb up to my balcony and slip into my room, and try to force me to talk to him, even though I lock every door and window.” She took a few shaky breaths. Jason could feel the rage burning inside of him. He may not be a good person. He wasn’t even a hero, with how many times he’s killed someone. Before he could ask who this dick (no offense to Grayson) was, she continued. “It escalated a few weeks ago. He started demanding that I listen to him and that we belong together. I think in English, the word he used would be soulmates. He took me to his house and trapped me in his room, demanding that I love him. I was so scared, but he wouldn’t listen. He told me that I had to apologize to him because of all the pain I’ve caused by rejecting him. I did, but he still refused to let me go. I know it wasn’t my fault, but I was just trying to get away. He finally fell asleep, and I snuck out and away with the help of one of his servants.”

Jason had to use the breathing techniques to try to calm himself down. He hadn’t felt the need to kill this badly in years, but he couldn’t mention that to this sweet little girl that was being terrorized.

“He calls me Princess. That’s his pet name for me,” she added, and Jason felt like a major tool. He cursed silently before turning to Marinette and kneeling in front of her.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I never meant to bring this all up for you. I’m sorry that you’ve had to deal with this guy, and I’m sorry that you’ve had to go through this. If I could, I would hunt him down right now to bring him to justice, but I’m right in guessing that you won’t tell me his name.”

She shook her head.

“Well, in the meantime, why don’t we get you to WE and find your class. Dick might have already started the tour, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find everyone. If not, I can give you a tour of the building that is guaranteed to be more interesting than what your class is getting.”

“Thank you, Jason. And thank you for listening. I know it’s a lot, but no one listens to me anymore, and it means so much to me.”

“Tell you what, why don’t you come meet my family. My dad is pretty influential in this city, my brother was a cop for a few years before working for WE, and I even have a brother about your age. Besides, my dad likes to adopt kids with black hair, blue eyes, and lots of trauma and issues. He’d love you.”

Marinette hesitated, and Jason was very proud. It was good that she was cautious around strangers, but he hoped that she would agree.

“It’s okay if you say no. I won’t get mad. After all, you barely know me and you don’t know my family at all. How about I hang around for a little while during the tour, and afterwards, you can give me your answer.”

She nodded her thanks. “I would like to, and I don’t mean to offend, but I really don’t know you, and I can’t trust someone I just met, no matter how much I like you.”

“Honestly, I would be concerned if you did trust me right off the bat. And I really do understand, Marinette. After all, Alfred was the one that taught us all to not go with random strangers to their homes.”

“Alfred?”

“Technically he’s our butler, but he’s really just a member of the family. He raised my dad, and when I was adopted, he raised me and all of my other brothers. He takes care of us, though I know that we all drive him mad. He could do anything he wanted to, but he loves us and he sticks around for us.”

“Isn’t that what family is all about? He sounds a lot like someone I know. Ironically, his name is Alfred, too, but its been a decade since I’ve actually seen him. He fought in World War II, you know, in occupied Paris. That’s where he met my Grandpere and my Nonna. My Maman likes to tell the story of my Papa being too hysterical when she was in labor with me, and Alfred had to drive them to the hospital. He was the first person besides my parents that held me, and he’s technically one of my guardians. Last we heard, he moved to America, but we never could figure out where. I miss him a lot, but we try to keep in contact. I haven’t seen him for a few years, but we do talk every month at least.”

“While he sounds great, my Alfred is the best. When I got really sick when I was twelve, he was the one that nursed me back to health, despite the fact that I was extremely contagious. And he raised my dad after he saw his parents murdered. There is literally nothing I wouldn’t do for Alfred if he needed it. I would come back from the dead for him.” _And did._

“Sir Jason, I have to say that Alfred Pennyworth is the most wonderful man in the whole world, and if you say otherwise, I will be forced to duel you to the death.” It was impressive that she managed to say that with a straight face. _Wait. Pennyworth?_

“Alfred Pennyworth? Knighted by the Queen of England? Served in the Royal Navy? Lifetime invitations to any parties that her Majesty throws? That Alfred Pennyworth?”

“Yep. Isn’t he great? Told you my Alfred was better.”

Jason ran a hand down his face. _Just a coincidence._ “Marinette, the man that raised my dad, me, and all of my brothers is named Alfred Pennyworth with those same achievements. Our Alfreds are the same.”

Marinette gaped at him. “Are you serious?”

“Completely. Here, I’ll show you a picture.” Jason pulled out his phone and scrolled through his pictures until he found the one that was of just the two of them. He held his phone out to Marinette and watched as she inspected the picture. Her face was serious, but her eyes betrayed her excitement.

“What are the chances that we both know and love Alfred?” she muttered. “Crazy luck.” She looked up at Jason, her bluebell eyes brimming with joy and she gave him her most radiant smile yet. “In that case, Sir Jason, I will gladly accept your dinner invitation, though I will have to let my teacher know.”

“Well, come on then. WE is just around the corner.”

They rounded the curve and Marinette looked up at the huge building in awe. It was the perfect view of the icon of Gotham. The gargoyles stood out on the roof, glaring down at the pedestrians as they stood guard over the city. The gothic architecture of the building was impressive, and drew numerous tourists to gawk in awe at the sweeping arches and windows. Marinette was no different. She reached into her bag and pulled out a sketchbook, immediately drawing what looked like a dress, obviously inspired by the WE building. On the opposite page, she drew a picture of the gargoyles as best as she could from the ground and from the angle.

Jason let her gape at the building for a few more minutes. Then, he put a hand on her back and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Come on, sweetheart. We need to go find your class.”

She nodded and allowed him to guide her through the front doors. The lobby was open and airy, with windows letting in natural light, though it was still grey. It was Gotham after all; the land where the sun never shines. Marinette was beaming at the sight. Scratch that. The sun was shining in Gotham today, because there was no way that a simple smile could light up the room that brightly.

“Jason! What are you doing here?”

Jason and Marinette turned towards the new voice, and he let out a groan.

“Hey Dicky-bird. What’s up?”

“I thought you were off to visit Selina or Star or Roy or whoever you spend time with these days. What are you doing?”

Jason chanced a glance at Marinette. She was staring at Dick with an expression that he could only describe as confusion. She glanced at Jason a few times, before turning back to look around the room.

“Well, this girl ran into me, and said that her class had left her behind at her hotel and that were going to tour WE today. I figured I would lead her here, since I knew you were going to be leading the tour.”

Marinette suddenly attached herself to Jason’s arm and he and Dick looked down at her in surprise. She was staring at a group of kids her age, who were all chatting together in French. There was one girl that seemed to be the center of attention, hanging herself off a blonde guy who looked very much annoyed. The teacher was focusing on something on her tablet and seemed to not be paying attention as a couple kids started shoving each other around.

“Is this her?” Dick asked softly.

He nodded.

His older brother let out a long sigh. “I was afraid of that. They didn’t even seem to realize that they were missing a student until I realized that I had one extra badge. Her teacher even suggested we just continue the tour! If a teacher acted like that here in Gotham, they would be fired immediately! Don’t these people realize that it’s a dangerous city? And don’t get me started on her—”

“Marinette!”

Oh boy. The class noticed them.

Marinette tightened her grip on his arm.

Bonus:

#onlyingotham Was walking down the street and I saw this girl bump into Jason Todd. Guys, she has black hair and blue eyes. I think Bruce Wayne just adopted another kid!


	2. Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things. This is a salt fic, though not all the class will be suffering my wrath. Alya is the one that is going to be bashed on the most, besides Lila, of course. A few others. Basically, Lila followed through on her threat, or so she thought. It'll explain it more in future chapters.  
Two, I like writing salt fics because I went through something similar to Marinette. All of my friends started to ignore me and abandon me, unless they wanted something. I relate to the loneliness, and I'm kinda hoping that someday, they'll realize how much they hurt me and apologize, but for now, I'm just trying, and failing, to find more friends. Ones that will take care of me as much as I take care of them. I matter too.

Jason was really nice. He really was. But after everything that has happened the last few years, and especially the last few weeks, she was hesitant to trust anyone. When he invited her to dinner, several red flags went up. Who invited a girl at least a decade younger than them to go and eat dinner at his house? Creeps. Criminals. Vagabonds. Ruffians. Thugs.

Whoa. Too many Disney movies to help her learn English better.

Anyway, it had been a rough three weeks. A rough few months actually. She had been working her butt off to get her class this opportunity, and it had finally paid off. Only for Lila to start spinning tales of growing up with the Wayne family and dating the youngest. Were her classmates really that stupid? Everyone knows that the only one that wasn’t adopted was Damian Wayne, but even he didn’t show up until he was ten years old. And the others were adopted when they were older, too. Lila couldn’t have “grown up with them”. It wasn’t possible.

But what did Marinette know? According to her “friends,” how to be a bully. Like she hasn’t given her whole soul to her classmates. Like she hasn’t died from akuma attacks and only Viperion’s Second Chance made it so she was brought back. Poor Luka. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it had been for him, especially since he knew her identity. Had apparently known from his second encounter with Ladybug. Not a pleasant conversation. At least, now they were best friends, and he was in a happy relationship with both Kagami and a boy named Felix.

Back to Jason. It was a little surprising to realize that he knew Alfred. As in, her favorite person in the whole wide world. Even beating out her Uncle Jagged, though he was a close second and Penny was a close third. Her parents were the next ones, though only because they just didn’t have enough hours in the day to keep the bakery running smoothly and focus all their attention on their daughter. Marinette didn’t blame them. After all, it was difficult to keep the bakery open and to save enough for her to go to Francois-Dupont. She tried to help where she could, what with commissions. She always felt bad accepting money from Uncle J and Penny, but it helped her parents, and that was the important thing.

That was what made her agree to go to dinner with a stranger and with his equally unknown family. Alfred would be there, and if he wasn’t, Marinette would immediately turn around and leave. False promises and all that.

Gotham was beautiful, but Paris would always be her home. At least, that’s what Marinette thought until she saw the Wayne Enterprises building. Notre Dame was beautiful, but the WE building was perfect. It was dark and gloomy, but still managed to look light and airy with the large archways and huge windows. The carvings weren’t gruesome or even religious like Marinette would have expected, but instead were images of heroes of the past. She could see Hercules, Hippolyta, Perseus and Andromeda, Orpheus leading his love from the Underworld. Above the main doorway was a heroine battling a great army all by herself. Immediately, Marinette recognized Joan of Arc, one of Tikki’s previous Chosens. She couldn’t help but be inspired.

The inside of the building was beautiful too, but seemed to be more of a modern design. It wasn’t as breathtaking as the outside was, but she could still appreciate the brilliant choices in color and artwork decorating the walls.

Apparently, Jason seemed to think that she couldn’t understand his conversation with this Dick. She knew perfectly well that they were discussing her classmates and teachers. Rather than eavesdropping, she turned to look at her classmates. Lila was telling another story about how she and Damian had gone on a beautiful tour of the city the last time she came here, and that she had helped Bruce Wayne decide the interior design. “He always asks my opinion on anything to do with decorating. After all, I was tutored under (insert famous name here) blah blah blah.” She was so predictable. As was the little scuffle that Alix and Kim got into. And the fact that Miss Bustier didn’t even look up from her tablet to scold them.

Marinette knew she shouldn’t, but she pressed herself against Jason’s side, because, for some reason, she felt completely safe with him. She could only hope that her classmates wouldn’t see her.

“Marinette!”

Dang it.

Alya.

She gave a tiny wave at her former best friend.

The other girl just scowled.

Jason moved his hand into his pocket and got out his phone, fiddling with some kind of app. No help from him. Dick was watching with narrowed eyes. Possible ally.

“Marinette, these cries for attention are getting ridiculous. Being late is one thing, but you really had to make an entrance? This is where the Waynes work. You need to shape up, girl. We have to make a good impression on Lila’s future in-laws.”

Attention? Really? Lila was scraping the bottom of the barrel on that one. Couldn’t she have picked a better lie?

“Alya, the bus was supposed to leave at 9:30 exactly. I was there at 9:20, right on time. I talked to the front desk and they said you guys left twenty minutes before you were supposed to. So yeah, it wasn’t a cry for attention. You guys purposely left me behind.”

The rest of the class had come over.

Oh goody. More accusations.

“What if we don’t want you around? Ever thought of that? Maybe it wasn’t a cry for attention, but we’re sick of you bullying Lila and we just want her to have a fun time in Gotham with her boyfriend, and you’re always trying to sabotage her plans. So, yeah. We left you.”

Half the class was nodding in agreement, though some seemed to be full of shame. Cough—Mylene—cough. Juleka wasn’t looking at anyone, but Rose was glaring at her. Kim, Alix, Marc, and Max, were standing off to the side, separating themselves from the others, not participating, but not saying anything in her favor, either. Kim, however, was holding Alix back, as though she was aching to jump on someone and start pounding them. Probably Marinette. After all, Lila was the class sweetheart. Nino was also looking extremely uncomfortable, and he took another step away from Alya. They had broken up not two months after Lila’s reign began, and ever since, Nino had become almost as isolated as Marinette was. Nathaniel, Ivan, and Sabrina were all glaring at Marinette as though her very existence was the source of all horrible things in the world.

And Adrien.

Adrien was glaring at her. Angry at her, like always. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?

“Marinette, I expected better from you,” Miss Bustier said without even looking up from her tablet. “As class president, you need to set a better example for your classmates.”

Tears were welling up in Marinette’s eyes. What she wouldn’t give to have Chloe back. As crazy as it sounded, she and Chloe actually became really good friends. Until the class got so cruel, making fun of Chloe for being traumatized by her father’s public execution by the akuma “Queen of Hearts”, that she decided to move to New York with her mother. To Gotham, actually. That was one of the few reasons that Marinette wanted to go on this trip so badly. She missed her Queen Bee, even though they talked almost every day. She missed her other hero partner.

Lila started to cry. It was the perfect recipe. Upset class. Bad guy Marinette. Chance to turn everyone else against her even more.

“I j-j-just want-t-ted to h-h-have a nice t-t-tour. I wanted t-to make a g-g-good impression.”

“Why do you have to ruin everything, Marinette?” Alya snapped, putting her arm around Lila’s shoulders and comforting the girl. Adrien did the same, sending another of his horrible glares at Marinette.

Alix lunged forward, fists raised, and Marinette flinched away, but realized that the petite girl wasn’t headed for her but for Lila. “WHY YOU HORR—” she shouted before Kim grabbed hold of her once again and slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Remember, we have to wait for the right moment. In the middle of the lobby of Wayne Enterprises isn’t the place,” Max whispered. Only Marinette’s advanced hearing could pick it up, and suddenly, she wanted to cry.

She had people that supported her? People that believed her? Another movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Nino moved to Alix, Kim, Max, and Marc, giving each of them a nod.

A loud sound startled the group. Dick had clapped his hands, but in the large lobby, the sound magnified and echoed.

“It’s about time that we start the tour,” he said in perfect French.

Crap. Dick knows French.

“My name is Richard Grayson, and I will be leading your tour today. My brother, Jason is going to be joining us as security for the duration of the tour. If any of you have questions, please feel free to ask either one of us.”

Alya raised her hand, but Dick, or Richard, held up a finger. “No, Mr. Wayne is not going to be here today. He’s currently flying back home from a business meeting in Japan. However, there is a chance that you may encounter a couple of his sons since most of them work in this building.”

“Mr. Grayson, will you let us know if we meet one of his sons?” asked Rose.

With a grin that could only be described as wicked, Richard, Dick, whatever, shook his head. “They like their privacy. And since only one of them has the last name of Wayne, and none of them ever get their picture taken, you’ll just have to guess.”

Marinette shrugged. She could relate to the four boys. After all, Ladybug has so many adoring fans trying to unmask her, when she’d rather be left alone. Only Kagami, Luka, and Chloe knew who was behind the mask. As Tikki had explained, the magic behind the Miraculous would protect their identities, but it could also be broken. Each Miraculous had a different spell to be broken, but for Ladybug, someone had to care more about the regular person than the mask in order to see through the magic. Luka knew Marinette, cared for Marinette, and was able to recognize her as Ladybug. Kagami took longer, but eventually, she turned from the chance to help Ladybug in favor of helping Marinette before realizing that they were the same. Chloe figured it out only days before she left for Gotham, and the two girls laughed and cried over the experience.

The tour was interesting enough, despite Marinette hanging out at the very back of the group. Jason was walking next to her, telling her little-known facts and mimicking Dick when his brother’s back was turned away. Marinette kept giggling, despite the fact that Alya glared at her every time she did.

“My brother Tim is brilliant with the business side of things, but that boy is terrible at taking care of himself. I call drinking a gallon of coffee made with Red Bull dangerous. He calls it innovation. Right up until he passed out in front of Bruce. He was sent home to sleep, and was told he couldn’t come back until he had gotten eight hours of sleep every night for a week. Can’t tell you how many times he tried to sneak back in so he could keep working.”

“That’s ridiculous. One time, I stayed up for a week straight, working on an outfit for one of my clients that he needed as soon as possible. Five energy shots in an espresso, on top of two energy drinks and about six pots of regular coffee every day. By the time I finished, I was so jittery, I thought I was going to explode and end up on Mars. And to this day, Mars still terrifies me, despite the fact that I was completely delirious.”

“I think you and Timmy are going to get along far too well. I take back my dinner invitation. You cannot meet Tim under any circumstances.”

Marinette giggled. “No take backs. I can just call Alfred and tell him that I’m in Gotham and that one of his boys was incredibly rude by ripping away the chance to reunite with him for something as ridiculous as coffee.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

They stared each other down, each trying to out-glare the other and intimidate them into giving in.

“Fine, you win. You can come to dinner, still. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

They burst into laughter, trying to smother it with their fists. Dick shot them a glare, though Marinette could see a twinkle in his eyes. He continued explaining the mission of Wayne Enterprises, keeping the class’s attention to the front and not on the two of them.

Eventually, Dick led them to the cafeteria.

“Alright, kids, you have an hour to mingle and eat. Mr. Wayne was kind enough to pay for your lunches, so feel free to get anything you want. Just show your ID badges at the register and you’re good to go.” He stepped aside and let the kids walk past him. Marinette wasn’t in a rush, since she didn’t really have anyone to sit and eat with, and it had been a long time since she really had an appetite anyway.

Dick grabbed Jason’s arm and started whispering furiously as he dragged his brother to a corner of the cafeteria. Marinette shrugged and got into line, making sure that there were a few people in between the last of her classmates and her. They had accused her of trying to take all the food before, and it wasn’t something that she wanted a repeat of.

Looking around, nearly every table was full of her classmates, all talking and laughing loudly as they ate their food. Thankfully, there was one table off to the side where only one person sat, a coffee mug and a sandwich to the side, and a laptop in front of him. He wasn’t someone Marinette recognized, but figured it would be better to try her luck with him rather than her classmates or the floor.

Walking over seemed to take a million years and only seconds. She cleared her throat, hoping to catch the man’s attention. “Excuse me,” she said, trying to annunciate her English so her accent wasn’t as heavy. The man looked up and gave what she supposed was a smile, but came out as more of a grimace. “I’m sorry to bother you, but would you mind if I sat at your table? Everywhere else is full, and I’d rather not deal with my classmates right now.”

The man nodded and Marinette sat down, careful to not do something clumsy and spill her coffee over the table. She figured the man would not be happy if she destroyed his computer. They sat in silence, Marinette munching on a few fries before pushing her tray away and focusing on the dress she wanted to design. The skirt was long and flowing, a dark grey that shimmered white in certain lighting. Sky blue and black accents and accessories would add the extra touch needed to give the impression of a gothic building. Maybe even embroidery along the hem depicting Joan of Arc’s battle. She wanted to capture the essence of the architecture, and the best way to do that would be with long lines, high arches, and slim waists. The overall look was slender and elegant and entirely unique. A design fitting of MDC, main designer for Jagged Stone and his wife, Penny, Clara Nightingale, rising band Kitty Section, and her own little online boutique. Marinette hoped that she would find time to make a formal gown, since her packing list mentioned a formal event at the end of the trip. However, an evening gown was extremely expensive to buy, and Marinette would rather wear her own designs anyway.

“I’m Timothy, by the way,” the man spoke up, startling her out of her creative process.

“Marinette. I assume you work here, yes?”

Timothy nodded. “I’m more involved in the business aspect of things, not PR like Dick or Management like Barbara. You could say that I run numbers to make sure that the company doesn’t fall apart.”

“That sounds like a really important job. But I doubt that it would be a good fit for me. Math is my worst subject, though I do like physics.”

“It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure. I happen to like solving puzzles, and I just see this as another puzzle.”

“What other kinds of puzzles do you like to do?” Marinette was genuinely curious. Due to her time as Ladybug, she had developed a love of riddles, problems, and puzzles. It actually helped her get better grades in math, as well.

“I mostly enjoy looking over cold cases that the police haven’t been able to solve. I’m close friends with the Police Commissioner, so if I get a breakthrough on a case, I send him the evidence and my notes on how I reached that conclusion, and the police investigate further.”

“Do you watch Buzzfeed Unsolved?”

“All the time. How else am I going to pass my time on the internet?” They gave a little chuckle. “Anyway, what are you working on?”

“Oh, I’m an aspiring fashion designer, and I got really inspired by the architecture of Wayne Enterprises. I had to draw this before I forgot or lost my creative process.”

“May I see? I’m no fashion designer, but I do like art. Not as much as my brother or my father, but I like to look at it. In fact, going to the Louvre is on my bucketlist.”

Marinette slid her sketchbook over, letting Timothy study her design. In the meantime, she let her eyes wander, taking in her classmates goofing around and enjoying their time together. Dick and Jason were still in the corner, arguing quietly, and Marinette quickly looked away, not wanting to seem like she was spying.

“This is incredible, Marinette. I have a feeling that you’re going to go far with this kind of talent. If you don’t mind my asking, how are you going to get grey material to shimmer white?”

Distantly, Marinette felt sorry for Timothy, because he had accidentally unleashed a monster. She described the process of inserting tiny crystals into the material, ones that would catch the light and make it seem like it was turning white. She described how the crystals and the colors would combine to give the correct impression and how it would look under runway lights as well as in an ordinary setting, such as in a ballroom.

Just as she was getting into exactly what type of material and crystal she would use, she stopped. “I’m so sorry, Timothy. I get so carried away when I talk about my designs. I often forget that most of it goes right over people’s heads. They do not appreciate my rambling.”

“It’s fine. And I actually understood most of what you were talking about. I definitely wouldn’t be able to copy it myself, but I do like hearing about how you would achieve the affect you’re looking for. I’m really impressed, actually. Have you had anyone commission your work?”

“A few people. My uncle’s a singer, and he asks me to design the suits he wears when he performs. Same with my friend Clara. I also started up an online boutique, and it’s starting to take off, but I’m still only getting five or six orders a month. Someday, I’ll hit my big break, and I’ll be able to compete with the big designers.”

“I have no doubt about that. I actually follow a French designer. MDC. She’s pretty fantastic, but no one really knows who she is. I’m hoping to someday get her to make me a suit or something.”

Marinette blushed and opened her mouth to say something when a tray plopped down next to Marinette, startling her, as she grabbed the sketchbook from Timothy’s hands and clutched it to her chest. The fact that the person had blonde hair, did not calm her.

“What are you doing here?” Marinette hissed.

“Now, now, Princess. I figured you’d want some company. After all, you’d rather sit with a friend than a stranger.” Adrien shot Timothy a dirty look, before turning his attention to Marinette and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

“Let go of me, Adrien.”

“Princess, don’t be like that. You know we’re meant to be together. After all, we’re soulmates.”

“I’ve told you again and again. There’s no such thing as soulmates. And if there were, you are definitely not mine. Now go back to Alya and Lila. Bother them.”

Adrien narrowed his eyes. “Princess, you’re going to come with me. You need to be nice to Lila, and right now, you’re just being selfish. Aren’t you supposed to spend time with your friends? Aren’t you supposed to support them and side with them?”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. And I’ve told you, I will not side with Lila. I don’t spend time with liars and people that support liars.”

“And I’ve told you that her lies aren’t hurting anyone.”

“They’re hurting ME, Adrien! If I’m your friend, support me. Stand up for me. Not the girl that’s been bullying me.”

“You know, I think Alya’s right. You are just looking for attention. Lila wouldn’t bully you. She’s really nice and her lies really aren’t hurting anyone.”

“Lila has caused twice as many akumas than Chloe ever did. And I’ve nearly been akumatized six times in the last week. Her lies are hurting people, and when everyone finds out about her lies, they’re going to hurt them, too.”

“Marinette, you’re being ridiculous. You’re too strong to be akumatized. And besides, if you do become akumatized, we can fix that. You still have friends. If Lila’s exposed, she won’t have any friends left, and it’ll be your fault.”

“My fault? Are you serious right now? I have no friends. My only friends are currently in Paris, working towards their careers and supporting each other. I’m just trying to enjoy my life for once, and maybe see Chloe while we’re in Gotham. The last thing I need is for you to force yourself into my time to relax.”

“Forcing myself? Princess, you should be grateful that I decided to come over here. I could have spent my time with Alya, Lila, and Nino, but I decided that you’re important too. I want you to come with me so we can all spend time together like we used to do.” Adrien grabbed Marinette’s arm tightly, intending to drag her over to where the class was sitting, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding at the far table.

Marinette twisted her arm in Adrien’s hold, trying to break free.

“Let go of me!”

“No, you’re coming with me, whether you like it or not. You’re going to go on a date with me tonight, and you’re going to be my girlfriend so we can finally be together.”

“You’re delusional. I already have plans for tonight.”

“Cancel them! You’re going with me, instead.”

“No, I’m not! I’m not going anywhere with you. Not again.”

“Yes, you are! You’re mine!”

“HEY! A-hole! The lady said no. Now let go of her or I’ll have security escort you out of the building.” Marinette turned and found Timothy glaring at Adrien with a look that could kill and burn him to ashes in seconds.

“Back off. This isn’t about you,” Adrien snarled.

“The instant you grabbed her, you made it my business. Actually, I should have stepped in long before that point. You’re being a tool and a jerk. And I believe I already told you to LET HER GO!”

Suddenly, a hand grabbed the back of Adrien’s shirt and lifted him up, while another set of hands gently pried his hand from Marinette’s arm. She looked up into Dick’s kind eyes as he pulled her away from where Jason was literally lifting Adrien off the floor by his jacket.

“Hey, dove. You’re okay. We’ve got you. He’s not going to hurt you again,” he murmured, adjusting Marinette’s jacket and pushing a new, warm, cup of coffee into her hands. “Come on, take a sip. There’s a good girl. Take in a deep breath. Good. Now, let it out nice and slow. Exactly. Come on, let’s do it again. In. And . . . Out. Keep going. Try to match my breathing. Perfect. Keep up the good work. No, no, eyes on me. Ignore everything else and focus on breathing. Good job.” He kept whispering words to her, most of which she understood, but some were going over her head.

Eventually, Marinette calmed down enough to notice that she had Dick’s hand in an iron grip, and immediately loosened it. Her cheeks went red and she started to apologize.

“No need to do that, dove. It’s okay. My hand’s gone through a lot worse than a little squeeze. Now, why don’t you tell me about this boutique of yours. You seem like you’re very talented.”

Marinette tried to tell him, she really did, but her eyes kept glancing over to where her class had gathered, watching her. It seemed as though each of them were staring at her with hate in their eyes, and she couldn’t bare it.

“I’m going to be sick,” she murmured and darted towards the nearest bathroom sign. She barely made it to the toilet before emptying what little was in her stomach into the bowl. Her stomach kept heaving until there was nothing but bile and acid burning her throat.

“You’re okay, Marinette. Jason took care of Adrien for you. It’s not going to be like last time,” came Tikki’s voice as she patted her chosen’s hair. She hated seeing her Chosen so upset, but until they could find another Chat Noir and take the ring from Adrien, they didn’t have any other choice but to deal with it. Personally, Tikki wanted to curse the boy to oblivion, but she couldn’t while he was wearing the Black Cat Miraculous. It could destroy Plagg, and she could never do that. Would never do that. Not even to avenge Marinette.

“I’m so sorry, Tikki. I’m the worst Ladybug ever! I can’t even defend myself against my own partner!”

“Oh, Marinette. You’re an amazing Ladybug. You’ve got a creation soul, one that bonds perfectly to the miraculous. And Adrien’s abusing and manipulating you. Hippolyta and Joan would have a hard time overcoming and dealing with that. And you have to put up with your classmates and Lila on top of trying to stop Hawkmoth almost completely on your own. It’s not fair, and I wish I could make it all go away. You are my strongest Ladybug, and don’t you forget it.”

With a deep sigh, Marinette stood up on shaky legs and walked to the sink. She rinsed her mouth out, spat and rinsed again. She did this three more times before drying her mouth on a paper towel and tried to make herself look more put together.

“Thank you, Tikki,” she murmured. The kwami kissed Marinette on the cheek before curling back up into her purse. “I think I’m ready.”

Bonus: #onlyingotham will you see a bunch of kids and a teacher being scolded by Jason Todd. *shudder* Avoid the scolding. You never want to experience the scolding. #hecouldbebatman #realscary #disappointed #don'tdisappointJason #bewarethescold


	3. Dick

As soon as the poor girl ran off into the bathroom, Dick stood in front of the door, arms crossed to emphasize the muscles he had gained from the long hours of being Nightwing. He glared at the few people that looked like they wanted to try to get past him, but they soon put aside that notion. Dick’s heart broke for the girl. He had been keeping an eye on her throughout the tour, and he noticed that anytime the blonde kid looked her way or got too close, she would tense up and go silent until Jason could coax another giggle out of her.

He hated guys like that. Thinking a woman was their property and that they owed him everything. Dick even threw a party for Harley when she split from the Joker, buying loads of ice cream and brought over tons of awful movies. Some of them hadn’t made it back home with him, but he figured that Harley probably needed them more than he did, since he could just buy another copy. Every month, they had a standing “date” day where he would take Ivy, Selina, and Harley out shopping and they would end the evening with horrible movies and ice cream. The Sirens seemed to be less prone to causing mischief and getting into trouble after their date day, and Bruce would have to kill him before he stopped.

The point is, he hated abusive men and women. Whether they were physically abusive, mentally, sexually, it didn’t matter. They were scum in his eyes, and there have been more than a few times that he’s turned a blind eye when Jason pulls out his guns.

Speaking of Jason, he had plopped the kid down onto the bench, staring menacingly down at him. The kid was arrogant, and he obviously thought that Jason couldn’t do anything to him. What an idiot. Of the Bat Clan, the only people more dangerous than Jason were Damian and Alfred and Cass. Jay wasn’t someone you mess around with.

“I assume you’re the [bleeper] that has been harassing Marinette.”

“I’m not harassing anyone. Bad guys harass girls, and I’m a hero and a good friend. If anyone is the bad guy, it’s you three grown men taking an interest in a sixteen-year-old girl.”

The kids in the class started to murmur among themselves, and they cast suspicious looks at Tim, Jay, and Dick. None of them particularly cared what these kids thought. They had faced plenty of rumors, and if what Jason said was true, then Alfred was already one of her guardians, and they were already family. And as soon as Bruce landed and heard the full story, he was going to adopt Marinette into the family for as long as she’s here in Gotham.

“What should we do with this punk?” Jason asked, cutting into Dick’s thoughts.

“Tim told him we’d throw him out of the building. I say we do that. Maybe tell the Commissioner and Barbara about what’s going on. They’d want to be kept in the loop about a harasser in the city.”

Jason nodded and grabbed the kid by the back of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. The class seemed to be in shock, but many of the kids were glaring at the boy. It seemed like Marinette wasn’t as alone as she thought she was. That was a relief, if Dick was to be honest. He knew this trip was supposed to last a month, but he could foresee several problems arising, especially if the tool would be around Marinette the entire time. He thought back to the conversation he and Jason had had on the situation.

_“Jay-bird, what’s going on? Why were you recording those kids earlier?”_

_ “That girl has been through the ringer, Dick. She told me about this kid that actually kidnapped her because she refused to be his girlfriend. She had to escape when he was passed out. And when she ran into me earlier, I’m pretty sure I saw someone following her. They left before I could get a good look, but Marinette’s in danger.”_

_ “Are you sure?”_

_ “No, Dick, otherwise that guy would be knocked out, and we would be having a very different conversation at the police station. One that means Bruce tries to bring me to justice again. If I’m being honest, I’m terrified for the girl.”_

_ “Understandable, but you didn’t answer my question. Why were you recording the kids earlier?”_

_ “One, I don’t speak French, and I can’t translate it in real time. Two, she was scared of her classmates, and I need to know why.”_

_ Dick gave him a strange look._

_ “What?”_

_ “I’ve never seen you so protective of anyone. Why her?”_

_ “Dicky-bird, if you spend any time with her at all, you’ll understand why. Besides, Alfred is one of her guardians, apparently.”  
“Alfred? Our Alfred?”_

_ “Yep, she said “Alfred Pennyworth is the most wonderful man alive, and if I said otherwise, she would duel me to the death.”_

_ “Are you sure she’s not Damian in disguise?”  
Jason glared at his brother. “I know you’re not on Bruce or Tim’s level, but aren’t you supposed to be a good detective?”_

_ Dick raised his hands in surrender, chuckling softly. “Alright, alright. What do you want me to do?”_

_ “What?”_

_ “You care about this girl, and she knows Alfred. She’s obviously having issues. You might not understand French, but I do, and the things her classmates were accusing her of were horrible. So, what can I do to help?”  
“Convince Bruce to not adopt her on sight.” Dick rolled his eyes at his brother. “Seriously. She fits all of his requirements. Black hair. Blue eyes. Serious issues. She won’t make it through dinner before being officially adopted.”_

_ “You’re an idiot.”_

_Jason snickered before a more serious look replaced his good humor. “Seriously, though, we need to talk to that teacher of hers. What kind of responsible adult leaves a student alone in a hotel, in a city she doesn’t know, right near Crime Alley. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened if I hadn’t run into her. She’s alone, she’s scared, and I just feel like we need to help her.”_

_ “I guess that’s what this dinner is about?”  
Jason shrugged one shoulder. “I was feeling bad for her and I figured she could use a few broken older brothers and new friends. I invited her to eat with us tonight. At first, she was really hesitant, which I approve of, but then we realized we both knew Alfred and she agreed to come visit tonight.”_

_ A movement from the tables caught Dick’s eye, and he and Jason turned to watch the blonde kid, Adrien, walk over to where Marinette was sitting and talking, _talking_, to Tim. “What’s going on with this harasser of hers? Do you know anything about him?”_

_ “She told me that he locked her in his room and it wasn’t until he fell asleep and with the help of his servant that she was able to escape. He won’t take no for an answer, insisting that they’re soulmates or something ridiculous like that. Apparently, he even broke into her room to try to force her to talk to him or love him or whatever. Dick, she’s scared. This guy was her best friend before all that happened.”_

_ “HEY!” Tim’s voice shouted over the din of the cafeteria. Dick and Jason turned towards their brother instantly, only to see the normally calm man breathing heavily, eyes glinting dangerously. More importantly, he was glaring at the blonde kid that was holding onto the girl’s arm so tight, they could see the pain in her eyes from across the room. In seconds, the two of them were racing across the room, ready to step in and get rid of this guy._

“Gentlemen, please. It’s too dangerous for a child to be left alone,” the teacher interrupted Dick’s thoughts. Her eyes pleaded for them to listen to her. “I’m responsible for him, and I can’t let him be by himself in this city.”

Jason’s eyes flashed dangerously, Tim was raising one eyebrow, glancing between his brother and the teacher. Dick, however, felt icy rage flood his veins. “Madame Bustier, may I ask where this concern was earlier?” he said in a dangerously low voice. He was aware of his brothers shooting him shocked looks; Dick never got angry, not like this. Not outside of vigilantism.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” the teacher responded, though her eyes flickered towards the door behind him where Marinette was.

“You know precisely what I mean. You abandoned one of your students in Gotham, the same city that you claim is too dangerous for another child to be left alone in. Why is he more important than Marinette? And don’t you dare think that I didn’t hear or understand what you were all shouting at her earlier. Leaving twenty minutes early on purpose? Not bothering to tell one of your students about the time change? If you’re responsible for your students, why don’t you take that responsibility seriously for all of them?”  
The teacher stammered and quailed under Dick’s glare. This teacher was completely incompetent, if her reactions were to go by. Throughout the tour, he had watched as she stood by and let her students bully and pick on Marinette, not bothering to step in and punish them adequately if at all.

“Why is Marinette not as important as this idiot?” Dick asked her.

Madame Bustier didn’t say anything, but one of her students did.

“Marinette is bullying Lila. She ruins her things and tries to sabotage anything that makes Lila happy. After all, she just wanted to make a good impression for her boyfriend’s family. Apparently the Waynes are really uptight.”

Wow. Dick did _not_ want to go into any of that. He heard a stifled snort, and shot a glare at Tim who had his fist stuffed in his mouth to keep from laughing. Jason seemed to be amused, but his eyes still flashed dangerously at the boy that had started to struggle in his grip and at the class in general.

“I’m not even going to go into the ridiculousness of that lie. Now, I assume Marinette is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, your class president?”

A girl with bubblegum pink hair (Alix, his brain supplied) spoke up. “Yeah she is. And she’s done a great job. After all, it’s thanks to her that we were chosen to come on this trip at all. Something that some of you should try to remember.” The glare was dangerous, and most of the classmates backed away from her. This pipsqueak of a girl had everyone cowering before her, and he was impressed. Kind of reminded him of Cass, to be honest.

The door behind him opened, revealing Marinette. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she gave a tiny hiccup that just made Dick want to wrap her in a blanket burrito and keep her from all these horrible people.

“Marinette, are you alright?” asked the boy with glasses. His hands twitched as if he wanted to go and give her a hug. Dick eyed him warily. There was no way he was allowing anyone else close to the girl without her express permission. He felt a tiny hand grab onto his suit sleeve, and he looked down at Marinette. She looked even smaller now than she did before, but she still gave the boy a watery smile.

“I’m okay, Max. Thanks for asking.” She looked around and saw Jason still holding Adrien up by his jacket, forcing the boy onto his tiptoes.

“Honestly, Marinette. You need to at least try to set a better example,” scolded her teacher. “Causing a scene in Mr. Wayne’s company? You of all people should know better than that.”

Dick could not believe this woman. Was she really that stupid? Was she really going to villainize the victim?

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Dick said cutting off Alix from shouting at her teacher. “Madame Bustier, you will escort the following students back to your hotel and, for the rest of the day, they will not be allowed to leave the premises as a proper punishment for bullying another student. Adrien, Alya, Lila, Rose, Mylene, Ivan, Nathaniel, and Sabrina. The rest of you will continue with the tour.”

Dick glanced down to see Marinette relax minutely, despite the fact that those named were yelling at her. The ones that got to stay moved closer to Dick and away from their classmates as a strange show of support.

He motioned Tim over and carefully extracted his sleeve from Marinette’s grip, leaving only when Alix came and gave Marinette a hug. The girl seemed to melt into the comfort, and fresh tears leaked out. She started murmuring in French, and the girl ran her hands through Marinette’s hair, shushing her gently. It seemed as though Marinette was in good hands.

“Tim, I want you to find out what is going on with this class. See if you can find anything that we can bring against the teacher. She’s obviously neglectful, but we need to figure out if there’s anything else. Also, look into Marinette’s relationship with this class. There’s something off, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“I’m also going to check into these akumas. Marinette kept mentioning them when she and that douchebag were arguing. I don’t know if it’s a code, but I might be able to find something.”

“Do it. The more information we have, the better. Also, find out if Alfred really knows the Dupain-Chengs without alerting him. If they’re as close as Marinette says they are, it would be nice to surprise him for once.”

Tim nodded and gathered up his laptop and coffee. Marinette pulled away from her classmates and approached Tim. She shyly asked him if she could give him a hug, and, when he nodded, she threw her arms around his shoulders, thanking him over and over again in French. Dick tried to hide his snicker. Tim looked extremely awkward, but his eyes said the same thing as Jason’s had earlier. “We’re going to keep her.”

Dick couldn’t agree more.

Bonus:

I work at WE and I’ve never seen such a commotion in the cafeteria. Watched Tim Drake shout at a kid and then Jason Todd pick up that same kid and dangle him in the air for a good ten minutes. #onlyingotham are the Wayne boys as great as the batfam. #shooketh #jasontoddishot #soistimdrake #dickgraysonsarmsthough #circusboy


	4. Tim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe how many people are enjoying this fic!! It has warmed my soul, and left me in a puddle of melted gooeyness. Seriously, though, I have never had a reaction to a fic like this, and it is making me more excited to write it, since I get to see your reactions almost immediately. It has breathed new life into my soul.  
If you have any ideas about #onlyingotham posts that you want to see in my fic, comment.  
Kudos are appreciated. Comments are loved. And those of you that are just reading, I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I am enjoying writing it.  
Until next time.  
Probably tomorrow.

The hallways of WE were crowded, and Tim found the press of people to be much more aggravating than usual. He was an introverted CEO. He needed alone time. What he got instead, was a sixteen-year-old girl being harassed in the cafeteria and a problematic class bullying said girl. His eight doctorates (what? He was bored when he dropped out of high school. Besides, CEOs need to be educated.) had not prepared him to deal with this situation outside of beating the tar out of the kid.

As soon as Tim got to his office, he pulled out his phone and called the one person that might help him deal with this mess.

“Tim, are you okay?”  
“I’m alright, Bruce, but we had a bit of a situation today. That class from France that you invited to Gotham took their tour today, and apparently, most of them are bullying one girl in the class. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s the class president, I think, and I had to stop this guy from hurting her. He grabbed her arm and left bruises.”

“Marinette? She’s the one that submitted the class in the first place. I was under the impression that they were all close friends.” Bruce was concerned. He turned on the father voice. Tim felt vaguely bad for her, because Bruce was either a helicopter parent or almost non-existent. If she happened to join the Wayne family, she’d have three older brothers looking out for her.

“They may have been at one time, but according to Dick, they purposely left her behind at their hotel. Jason happened to run into her while she was wandering the streets and brought her here.”

“Are you looking into the school?”  
“I was going to, yes. I just don’t know how to deal with this kind of situation from the standpoint of CEO of WE. I figured I’d ask you what you think before I take any action.”

“Maybe send out a memo reminding people of the No Tolerance Policy. We might need to add it to waivers and permission forms for classes that come to tour or maybe post it in the lobby. I’ll talk to Barbara tonight and see what her father would recommend for legal action. Look on public forums and posts and see what you can dig up on their teacher and the faculty at the school. I want to know if they have a history of encouraging or ignoring bullying behavior.”

“I’ll get on that. I only have one more meeting today and a few files to look over, so I can focus on that for the rest of the time.”

“Maybe we should invite Miss Marinette over for dinner. After all, she is the winner of the contest, and maybe we can find out more information about that class.”

Tim let out a snicker. Apparently, Marinette was going to be a part of the Wayne family whether she wanted to or not. At this point, she basically had no choice. “Jason beat you to it. I guess he had been talking to her for ten minutes before he invited her to come meet everyone. She didn’t agree at first, but then they started to talk about Alfred, and according to her files, Alfred Pennyworth is, in fact, her legal guardian. She’s coming tonight at six.”

“I’ll make sure I’m there, then. I should be getting in around four. I want a full report tonight after the dinner on everything you’ve found. Maybe get Barbara to help.”

“Agreed. I’ll see you tonight. Oh, Jason and Dick want to surprise Alfred with Marinette, so don’t say anything to him about it.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”  
Bruce hung up and Tim lowered his phone. If he was going to find everything on Miss Bustier, he would need a ton of coffee. Too bad the machine was bolted to the wall in the breakroom, or he’d just bring it to his office. It was all Bruce’s fault. He’d wanted to get Tim to break his coffee “addiction” and had taken away his privileges. Jokes on him, though. Tim liked tea just as much, and it was better at keeping him awake. Alfred had hidden his tea stash, though, and he had yet to find it. So, coffee it was.

It took a few hours, but Tim finally managed to put together a portfolio on Caline Bustier. Bruce was _not_ going to like this teacher at all. It wasn’t as thorough as usual, but he also didn’t want to do in-depth research on the woman on WE servers. He had moved on to research akumas and what they had to do with Paris.

“Babs, I don’t know what to do. All that’s really coming up is this Ladyblog, written and run by the girl that was bullying Marinette. I really don’t want to believe anything she writes about. And honestly? Evil butterflies possessing people? It’s impossible.”

Tim paced back and forth in his office, his phone on speaker while he ranted about the situation he now found himself in. None of the information made any sense, and there was almost no evidence to support reports of these akumatizations. There were massive holes in the internet, though. Video and audio files that were completely erased, as though they had never been there in the first place. Things on the internet will always exist. It didn’t make sense that hours of news reports were deleted. All that was left was the Ladyblog, a worthless gossip rag, if you asked Tim.

“I’m pulling up basically the same thing you are. There are a few news articles, but other than that, anything I click on has been deleted. It’s like someone is actively removing any mention of these akumas from the internet. The only one still up is the Ladyblog, but, like you said, it’s hardly reliable.”

“Is there any way any of this could be possible?” asked Tim, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I guess with magic, there’s a lot of things that are possible. But without solid evidence or first hand accounts instead of obviously tampered videos, I’m inclined to believe that this is a made-up way to deal with trauma.”  
“On this blog, there’s a lot of mentions of Ladybug. I guess she’s some kind of hero?”

“We’d know if there were active superheroes in Paris, Tim. The Justice League investigates every claim of vigilante or hero in the world, just to make sure that they are really heroes and not bad guys in disguise. We’ve been tricked too many times. My guess is that Ladybug is some kind of therapist that helps kids when they deal with a panic attack or depression or something. She helps them deal with negative emotions, basically.”

“I guess that would make sense. Still, there’s something familiar about Ladybug. She almost looks like Marinette.”

“I’ve still got pictures of Marinette open in the Bat Cave. I can do a facial recognition match if you’d like.”

“Nah. At best, Alya probably just based it off of her classmate. Oh, before I forget, tell Alfred that Jason’s bringing someone to dinner.”

“Jay-bird is bringing someone home to meet the family?” Barbara sounded surprised. And rightly so. Jason never brought anyone besides Roy home. Roy doesn’t count though. He’s practically a permanent annoyance at Wayne Manor.

“I would tell you, but it’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“Not even a little hint?”

“Well, the surprise isn’t for you, but knowing our family’s love of snooping, we don’t want it spreading around so that the person the surprise is for finds out about it.”  
Barbara hummed in agreement. Tim could hear a few clicks over the phone as Barbara typed something on her computer. A thoughtful hum. A few more grunts of surprise. Tim was used to this. After all, Oracle and Red Robin did a lot of partnering when working on a case. He simply waited until Barbara was ready to talk through her thoughts.

“Timmy, I’ve been looking at Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and she seems like a really nice girl. She’s the class president, and her entry was what won them the trip. The paper is really well done and it even includes pictures of various things they’ve done. The girls in their class got together to plant trees on the bank of the Seine. And Marinette planned a day of service where they put together care packages for Puerto Rico after that big hurricane. But not everything was put in the file. None of the things that Marinette did by herself were included. Like, in her spare time, she teaches young girls self-defense for free and delivers baked goods to a local food pantry every evening. I really don’t get why she’s being bullied by her classmates.”

“Keep digging, Babs. I’ll see you later tonight for dinner.”

Tim hung up and resumed his pacing. Marinette was a strange girl. She was incredibly talented if her design she had showed him gave any impression. And based on the research he and Babs had been doing, she was incredibly kind. Like, give Superman a run for his money, kind. Her eyes haunted him. She was hiding something. Something she didn’t want people to know. Tim would get to the bottom of this. After all, he was one of the world’s greatest detectives.

Bonus:

My boss just came in carrying a mug of coffee and glared at the coffeemaker for thirteen minutes. The motor had burnt out on it again. That’s what happens when you drink more coffee than the rest of us. #heneedsmoresleep #morehoursthanbatman #onlyingotham #weallneedcoffee #gotostarbucks #gotosleepTim


	5. Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *polite applause from offscreen* Announcer’s voice: Please get ready to welcome the next LIIIIITTTTLLLE LADYBIRD! *wild cheers*
> 
> Hey guys. So, to make up for such a late post last night, I decided to post early today. YAY!!! But first, some Maintenance.
> 
> Marinette is 16, Damian is 17, Tim is 21, Jason is 25, Dick is 27, and Bruce is 42. I haven’t worked on the ages of anyone else, but I assume that Cass is 19, Steph is 21, and Barbara is 26.
> 
> I may have played with the ages a little, since Dick was Robin until he was an adult, before 13-year-old Jason became Robin. But I like them to be closer in age.
> 
> Without further ado *jazz hands*

The rest of the day was pretty great in her opinion. Once she got past the events in the cafeteria, she was actually the happiest she had been in years. Two years since Lila had made her grand debut as the class liar and manipulator, and she had lost all of her friends and had to go and find new ones. Luka was the first, of course, since they were already friends. Kagami followed quickly with an apology, saying that she thought that Marinette had been stringing along Adrien. The two had a good laugh over the events of that horrible ice-skating date, as did Luka when they all started hanging out together. Eventually, Kagami brought along some people from her private school, and they were introduced to Felix, Claude, Allegra, and Allen. The real surprise came, however, when Chloe came back after a summer away to America and apologized with tears in her eyes. She was sorry for all the years that she had tormented the baker’s daughter, and Marinette could see the apology was as heartfelt as Kagami’s had been. Surprising everyone, Chloe and Marinette became best friends, and still were, despite the blonde moving to Gotham after Queen of Hearts. It was when she suggested Marinette come along as well that Chloe realized that Marinette had responsibilities that required her to stay in Paris and her parents’ low income dictated that she stays with Francois-Dupont.

Apparently, she wasn’t as friendless in her class as she thought, Marinette mused, looking over the group that had been allowed to stay. And they had all come up to her and apologized, saying that they knew Lila had been lying but couldn’t find a way to expose her without tipping her off or causing an akuma. Marinette gladly accepted their apologies and immediately started to cry again, but this time, Kim just swept her up onto his shoulder, tickling her gently, just like he had done when they were kids. Kim and Max were joking around with Marc, teasing him about liking an artist that happened to be in the same class as Claude. He and Nathaniel had dated for a while, but because of Lila, they had broken up. Same with Juleka and Rose. In fact, the only couple that had managed to come out unscathed were Ivan and Mylene. Weird. Alya and Nino she understood, since Lila didn’t like that Alya was splitting her attention. But the others, she had no idea why Lila decided that they shouldn’t be together. _Maybe because she’s homophobic_. Yeah, that could explain it. It’s still disgusting.

Thoughts of Lila were too upsetting, and Marinette had learned a long time ago to ignore them and focus on her designs instead. But designs were not on her mind. Jason was picking her up in twenty minutes to take her to his house to meet his family and reunite with Alfred.

“Are you excited, Marinette?” Tikki squeaked as she helped her Chosen with her hair ribbons. Marinette had decided to do something a little different and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail tied with a black ribbon and curled the rest. She had decided on a simple, red shorts jumpsuit and converse that matched the outfit. Since Lila had taken over the class and she was abandoned and isolated, Marinette drew strength from Ladybug and made as many outfits to channel her inner hero as possible. Instead of pink, her color was now red, and it felt right.

“I’m so excited! But I’m also really nervous. I mean, Alfred hasn’t seen me since I was six. What if he doesn’t want to see me? Or what if I embarrass myself and they throw me out? I’m not just meeting Alfred, but I’m also meeting all of Jason’s family.”

“I’m sure they’ll love you, Marinette. After all, you’re pretty incredible. And they’ll see it, I know it.”

“Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette tickled her kwami’s belly, causing the sprite to giggle. “Just a little bit of makeup and I’ll be ready to go. I’m even early,” she said as she clipped a ladybug pendant around her neck.

“I’m proud of you! You’ve been managing your time much better the last few months and you’ve hardly been late at all!”

“I’m pretty proud of myself, too. And I’m glad that I’m starting to figure out how to balance being Ladybug with being Marinette. I know akuma battles are getting harder, especially since Chat doesn’t even show up anymore, but I think that the team we have now has a shot at beating Hawkmoth.”

“You bet. Although, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get some help from the local heroes. I heard that Batman is the greatest detective in the world. Maybe he can help you confirm your theories about who Hawkmoth is.”

“I’m hoping so. I was thinking of going on patrol tonight to see if I can find him. But I might have to push that to tomorrow night depending on how things go with Alfred and Jason and his family. Oh, Tikki, I really hope dinner goes well. I’m really excited to see Alfred again.”

“I’m sure it will be just fine. He sounds like he’s a great man.”

“He is. I have to make sure I get a picture with him to send to Maman and Papa. They’ll be so surprised and delighted. We were never really sure where he ended up.”

Ten minutes later, Marinette was waiting in the lobby, looking out the glass doors for any sign of Jason. She noticed that some of her classmates, including Lila and Alya were gathered on some couches. As usual, Lila was spewing some lie about knowing a celebrity.

“You know, I grew up with the Waynes. They were my best friends, especially Damian. He’s actually my boyfriend, but we don’t like to spread it around because he’s worried that I would be a target. After all, as one of the most influential families in Gotham, they are a target for supervillains all the time.”

“What I think is crazy is that there are literally no pictures of any of the Waynes on the internet. Like, the only one that I can find is of Bruce Wayne. In fact, he’s the only one that is ever pictured or videoed or been interviewed. It’s really weird. Chloe was always taking pictures of herself and throwing her weight around. I think the Waynes are kind of on the same level, but there’s nothing.” Alya was scrolling through her phone, occasionally stopping and clicking on something. Marinette rolled her eyes. If Alya actually researched, she’d know that Gotham was extremely protective of their resident billionaire and his kids. They respected their privacy and never posted pictures online of them. After all, the Waynes were targeted by supervillains all the time, and Gotham protects their own.

“You know, it’s rude to eavesdrop,” a voice whispered in her ear. Marinette spun around, her arm snapping forward and punching the person on their jaw. Adrien took a few stumbling steps away from her, clutching his face as his eyes watered.

“What the heck, Mari?”

“Sorry, Agreste,” Marinette muttered, though she really didn’t feel all that sorry. He knew better than to startle her. “First of all, don’t call me Mari. That’s reserved only for my friends. And second, you can’t just sneak up on me like that. I’ve told you countless times that I’m just going to end up hurting you.”

“But Princess, I’d never hurt you. You know that.”  
Marinette let out a long, loud sigh. This boy was really testing her patience today. All she wanted was to go meet Alfred and spend some time with the man that she considered her grandfather. “This is Gotham. Literally the city with the highest crime rate in the world. It doesn’t matter what you would or would not do. I can’t tell who is coming up behind me, especially when they’re as quiet as you. For all I knew, the Riddler was trying to take me hostage.”  
The blonde pouted, still cradling his jaw with one hand. “You should have known it was me. After all, I’m really the only one that talks to you.”

Really? _Really?_ Marinette was quivering, her eyes flashing dangerously, the usual bluebells turned a midnight pool in their anger.

“Nice punch, Sunshine,” came another voice, from over her shoulder, and Marinette jumped and spun around, ready to beat the crap out of the person that startled her. The man dodged her swings easily and caught her fist, holding it gently to keep her from inflicting the same punishment on his face that Adrien had received. “Easy there. It’s me, Jason. Remember? Tall, dark, and handsome? Taking you to see Alfred?”

Marinette sagged in relief and she relaxed her stance. Jason also relaxed and let go of her fists, taking one step away from her so he wasn’t crowding her space. Then, he turned his gaze to Adrien.

“What are you doing, here?” he spat, glaring at the boy who jumped at the tone of voice.

Adrien seemed to be in a particularly stupid mood since he puffed out his chest and glared right back. “I happen to be Marinette’s friend, unlike you. Besides, I am staying at this hotel, same as her. I have a right to be here. The question should be is why are _you_ here? You’re at least a decade older than us, but you’ve been following Marinette around all day and now you’ve followed us to our hotel.”

Jason opened his mouth to respond, but Marinette decided to cut in before anything ugly happened. “One, you are not my friend, Agreste. I’ve told you that. You haven’t been for a few years now. Two, Jason actually _is_ my friend and his grandpa is my honorary grandpa that I haven’t seen for years. And three, you’ve already hurt me once.” Marinette showed him bruises on her arm where he had grabbed her earlier at Wayne Enterprises. Adrien’s eyes widened. “So, I am going to go with Jason to dinner, meet his family, see my grandpa again, and I am not going to talk to you. Good night.”

Marinette spun around and grabbed Jason’s sleeve, dragging him along behind her as she marched to the door of the hotel. Adrien was stunned at her abrupt departure, but Marinette couldn’t care less about the boy that had once held her heart. She was _so_ glad that she got over him years ago. Imagine pining away after that spineless idiot.

Jason let out a chuckle. “There’s no hurry, Sunshine. The family isn’t expecting us for another half an hour, though it would be okay if we’re a little late. After all, you never know what will happen in Gotham.”

“I don’t care if it’s the Joker himself, nothing is going to stop me from seeing Alfred again,” Marinette declared. Then a look of uncertainty came over her. “Unless, Alfred doesn’t want to see me. What if he doesn’t want to see me? Or what if he’s really disappointed in me? What if he never wanted to be found and I just blew everything? Oh gosh, he’s going to hate me!” Her breathing quickened, and her hands twisted the straps of her purse where Tikki was hiding. Dragging in great lungfuls of air, Marinette tried to get control of her panic; she did not want to have a second one that day. _Stupid Adrien. Him sneaking up on me put me on edge. Again. I should have hit him harder._

“Woah, woah. It’s okay, Marinette. Breathe nice and deep for me. That’s it. I can guarantee that Alfred is going to be ecstatic to see you and there is no way he’s going to hate you. As to if he wanted to be found, he wouldn’t have signed up to work with my family if he didn’t want to be found. We’re kind of well-known around here.”

Marinette’s shoulders sagged. Here she was, not even twenty feet from the hotel, acting like a spaz and freaking out in front of one of her only friends. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. I can’t tell you how many panic attacks my brothers and I have all had over the years. I mean this is Gotham and we’re the sons of a wealthy and influential man. We’ve been in so many hostage situations, and my personal nightmare is the Joker. It’s okay to panic. It’s okay to freak out. You don’t have to be strong all the time.”

With a half sob, half laugh, Marinette threw her arms around Jason’s neck, squeezing tightly as tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. “I can’t tell you how badly I wish that was true,” she murmured as she let go. “Paris isn’t the same. We have a villain that preys on any negative feelings and basically brainwashes you into one of his minions.” She let go and stepped back, ready to head to Jason’s house when she caught sight of his face.

Never in her life has Marinette seen anyone more confused.

“What?”

“You know, Hawkmoth. Akumas. Miraculouses.”

“I’m sorry, Sunshine, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Okay. That’s strange. How does he not know what’s going on in Paris? The Eiffel Tower is cut in half every week and the Louvre completely disappears on Thursdays. Nadja is at almost every akuma attack, reporting the damage and the fight to keep everyone informed. Giant swarms of ladybugs magically fixing the damage.

“I would have thought that Hawkmoth was at least as famous as Calendar Man,” she said, cocking her hips slightly and raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve heard of Killer Moth and the Moth Man, but no Hawkmoth. What’s his power?” The doubt was obvious in his voice, though he didn’t actively say that Marinette was lying. Which was a point for him.

“He possesses people with his akumas, demonic purple butterflies, and manipulates them into accepting his help in exchange for the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses. The victims of Hawkmoth have no choice. I’ve only seen one person fight off Hawkmoth successfully and it was excruciating for her. Ladybug and a few other heroes with Miraculouses work together to stop and purify the akuma.”

“Okay, now you’re just pulling my leg. I have never heard of demonic purple butterflies.”

Marinette looked Jason in the eyes. She knew what she had seen and she knew that her fellow heroes and friends had eyes full of pain. She knew Jason could see that pain. Knew that he would want to know why she carried the trauma of a soldier in her soul. And she felt that he needed to know. Regardless of how crazy it may sound to him, she wanted to spill it all. “I have watched Paris drown. Out of two million people that live in my city, I saw less than a hundred on the rooftops. People die in akuma attacks, only to be brought back to life after Ladybug fixes everything. I watched my friends disappear in front of me. I watched one of my friends be hunted by a black panther just because he thought he could race said panther. I have watched an akuma try to boil a girl alive for a soup that he wanted to make. I have seen my parents, my classmates, my friends be taken advantage of by Hawkmoth but have no memories of what they did after the event. Sometimes, that’s a really good thing, because I don’t think they could handle knowing that they killed the people they loved while under Hawkmoth’s control. It would destroy them and then we’d have even more akumas on our hands.”

Jason was staring at her with wide eyes. He looked more inclined to believe her after her little rant, but Marinette knew how hard it was to accept. If she wasn’t living the trauma, she wouldn’t think that anyone could be possessed by a purple butterfly.

“That’s kind of crazy. I mean, it’s kind of weird, but then again, we have Kite Man, so I can’t really talk. Do you want to talk about it some more? Maybe get everything off your chest?”

Marinette shook her head. “We’re already late. We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago, and I really do want to see Alfred again.”

“Sweetheart . . . “ Jason started, before shaking his head and leading the way to the parking lot. “Come on,” he said, motioning to a bike parked by the curb. “I made sure to bring my spare helmet and everything.”

He shoved a Robin helmet into her hands and swung himself onto the bike, pulling on a Batgirl themed helmet onto his own head. Marinette climbed up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Well, as much as she could. After all, Jason was HUGE compared to her. The muscles? Marinette really hoped that he wasn’t a bad guy, because she wasn’t sure she could take him in a battle without becoming Ladybug.

As intimidating as Jason was, Marinette did not feel any danger at all, despite the fact that he never went under seventy mph through the city. She felt safe for the first time since she was thirteen and given her Miraculous.

Bonus:

Why is it #onlyingotham that you’re walking down the street with your coffee, and some idiot zooms by on his bike. Scared me so bad I dropped my coffee. #ineededthat #finalsweek #tootiredtodeal #whatajerk #ineedcoffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do want to say that I will have Juleka/Rose make up, but Marc is going to be dating the artist from Claude’s class. Other ships are Damian/Marinette (duh), Dick/Barbara, Bruce/Diana (wonderbat for life), Luka/Kagami/Felix, Tim/Konner, Chloe/Cassandra? (I’m still debating on this one. I was gonna have her be with an aged down Zatanna at first, but someone mentioned having Marinette and Chloe be in-laws and I loved it.) Alix/Max/Kim
> 
> Those are the important ones.  
Next up, dinner with the Waynes.


	6. Alfred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remain seated while the next movie is starting. Oh, you didn’t realize this was a double feature? Surprise!!!
> 
> I wanted to surprise you all with another chapter tonight. So many of you have been looking forward to the dinner, so here’s the first half. Umm, so yeah. Hope you like it as much as you’ve liked the others.
> 
> Oh, and there’s a poll at the bottom of the story

Whenever any member of the family started to act suspiciously, Alfred got exasperated. Not nervous. He was far too used to their antics to feel nervous when someone was planning in the Manor. But he was definitely curious. Master Jason rarely brought anyone home, besides Roy, but he was practically a member of the family at this point, and didn’t count. And as far as anyone knew, Master Jason wasn’t seeing anyone seriously enough to invite them to meet his family.

(Jason may pretend that he hates his brothers and his father, but everyone knew that when it counted, Red Hood had your back. After all, they were family, and family is everything to the Waynes.)

Perhaps if they had given him more time, he would have had a chance to look into this mysterious guest, but Alfred was busy making a stupendous meal for the family and their guest. So, with only ten minutes until Master Jason arrived and twenty until dinner was ready, he was unable to do more than try to obtain details from the few family members that knew. Master Dick, Master Tim, and Master Bruce were all in the know, but as Master Bruce was resting from his long flight, and Master Dick was with Miss Barbara in the Bat Cave (what a ridiculous name), that only left one person to interrogate.

“Master Tim, I would like to remind you that dinner is in twenty minutes, and if you continue to eat that ice cream, you won’t have much of an appetite for _real_ food.”

Master Tim looked down at the ice cream carton in his hands as though just realizing it was there. He gave Alfred a sheepish grin.

“Sorry. Reflex.”

“It should not be a reflex to eat ice cream as soon as you get home from work, Master Tim,” Alfred scolded as he gently took the carton away from the sleep-deprived boy. The bags under his eyes had gotten worse, and Alfred could tell that something was bothering the boy. Probably more than just one thing. Really. Being a vigilante at night and a CEO during the day was no task for a 21-year-old boy.

“Alfred, do you know anything about a villain in Paris?”  
Paris? Was Paris under attack. He really hoped not. After everything Tom and Sabine had done for him and with how sweet their little girl, his precious Marinette, was, he hoped they weren’t dealing with any kind of villain.

“I can’t say I’ve heard of anything. Perhaps after dinner and after our guest leaves, I can help you research whatever situation is happening in Paris.”

Master Tim’s shoulders relaxed, and he grinned easily up at Alfred. “That would be great. With you, me, and Babs researching it, we should be able to figure out what’s going on.”

“My pleasure. Anything to make sure you get to bed at a decent time tonight. I don’t want you staying up for four days without sleep again.”

“Oh, come on. You promised you wouldn’t bring that up again.” What is it with these ridiculous heroes and their need to pout at him? Puppy eyes stopped working long before he was raising Master Bruce by himself.

“I never agreed to something that inane, Master Tim. Now, I believe I told you when you got home that the living room needed to be devoid of all of your clutter. Particularly the items related to your nightly activities. I doubt you would want your identity revealed to our dinner guest.” Alfred raised an eyebrow at this. He knew of every person that actively knew any of his wards’ identities, and the way Master Tim responds could give him a clue about who was coming to the Manor.

“Right away, Alfred. Bruce told me to get rid of these old batarangs anyway. Says they’re outdated.” Tim rolled his eyes. A small smirk appeared, and his words took on a calculated quality. “As if. Everything Bruce uses it the pinnacle of advanced technology. I think he is trying to get me to give them to Jason to use instead of guns.”

Of course, everything the boy just said was legitimate. Not a single lie. Alfred wanted to shake the boy. It wasn’t often that any of his boys were able to keep something from him, but Master Dick had come home glowering about something, Master Tim was researching with Miss Barbara, and Master Jason was bringing someone home. And Alfred had no idea who or what was happening. It was incredibly frustrating.

“Who is coming to dinner, Alfred?”

_If only . . . Deep breath. You’re not allowed to throttle your family._

“I assume you are talking about the family and not this mysterious dinner guest, Master Tim.” The boy winks and gives Alfred finger guns before standing and stretching. He began to clean up the piles of research on criminal activity in Paris for the past two years and several in-depth background checks, careful to keep the actual information away from Alfred’s prying eyes.

“I believe Miss Barbara is here. Master Dick mentioned something about a romantic night after dinner.”  
“Gross. Did not need to know that.”

Alfred continued as though Master Tim had never interrupted him.

“Master Damian is staying with one of his friends for the night. I believe they were working on a group project, and wanted to make a sleepover out of it.”

“And the demon child actually wanted to do normal kid things? Is the apocalypse happening?”

“Master Tim, I assure you that you are not nearly as humorous as you seem to think you are. Thanks to the combined efforts of Miss Chloe and Mr. Jon, they have succeeded in helping your brother learn how to be a proper child again. Now, would you please wake up Master Bruce. He is resting after his long journey, but he wanted to be here to meet this dinner guest.”

“Of course, Alfred.”

“And don’t startle him like you prefer to do. I will not save you from his wrath if you do.”

With a roll of his eyes, Master Tim went upstairs, and Alfred was left to wait patiently for Master Jason to arrive with his friend. Or, at least as patiently as he could. After all, it wasn’t often that any of the Waynes brought friends over that weren’t also superheroes. The exception was Miss Chloe, but Alfred wouldn’t be surprised to find out that she left Paris because she was once a vigilante. Goodness knows, she had the training and physique for it, as well as talking about all the things that the Mayor, her father, needed to do to improve in the city.

The roar of a motorcycle was heard, and Alfred moved to the front door, ready to open it for Master Jason and his guest. Behind him, Alfred heard Master Dick pushing Miss Barbara into the Entry Hall, Master Tim coming down the stairs with Master Bruce stumbling behind, having just been woken from his nap, and Miss Stephanie coming up from the Batcave, still in her Batgirl gear.

“Steph, go change,” Tim said, nudging his old girlfriend and current sister towards the rooms upstairs. “You can’t be Batgirl tonight.”

The blonde girl rolled her eyes and trudged upstairs. A brief acknowledgement that the mysterious guest did not know about his family’s nightly activities was all he had time for before steps were heard on the front porch. He immediately pulled it open, standing off to the side as Master Jason and a small girl came through. They were laughing together, making jokes about some book they both enjoyed reading.

Alfred felt his heart stop for a split second before it immediately began racing. He knew that dark hair and those bluebell eyes. He knew that tinkling laugh. He knew that smile. He knew _her_. Alfred wanted to cry from the joy of seeing his baby girl again.

“Hey guys, this is my new friend and baby sister, Marinette,” Master Jason introduced, taking his spare helmet from the girl.

Marinette. _Marinette._ His sweet girl was here.

Alfred took a hesitant step forwards, taking in how different Marinette was since the last time he saw her. Ten years was a long time, and she was so different. Rather than the pink he remembered, she was resplendent in red, confidence in her eyes, though there was a touch of uncertainty. Her hair was long, pulled back in a ponytail and it still reached the middle of her back. And there was this light about her. Alfred swore he saw one of the flowers on the porch stand a little taller as she walked by. His Starlight had grown into a lovely young woman, and he couldn’t be prouder.

“Hi, Alfred,” she whispered, giving him a smile that brightened up the day, just like it had when he had last seen her.  
“My little Marinette,” he choked out, moving forward to stand in front of the girl. “Is it really you?”

With a half-laugh, half-sob, Marinette threw herself into Alfred’s arms, squeezing him tightly. “I’ve missed you so much, Alfred. You have no idea. I was so excited when I realized that Jason knew you, I could hardly wait until dinner. I hope it’s okay that I came.”

Alfred couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t trust himself to speak without breaking down completely in front of everyone. He loved his little girl so much, and now, she was here! In Gotham!

“Oh, Alfred!! I can’t believe it! When Jason said he knew Alfred Pennyworth, I was so excited, but I wasn’t really sure it was the same Alfred. But you are! You’re really here!” She was babbling, but Alfred couldn’t find it in himself to care.

“I am so glad to see you, my little Starlight. I can’t even describe how happy I am that you’re here,” he murmured, tears leaking out of his eyes despite him trying to suppress them. “But what are you doing in Gotham?”  
“I helped my class win a trip here from the Wayne Foundation. I had no idea you were here or I would have come to visit years ago.”

“I hate to interrupt, but would you like to introduce us?” Master Bruce cut in. Alfred looked up to see everyone staring at them. The boys all had matching grins, while Miss Barbara was giggling into her hand, Miss Stephanie was staring open-mouthed, and Master Bruce was giving the two a soft smile.

“My apologies, Master Bruce. This is my dear little Marinette. I met her grandparents in occupied France not long after D-Day. I was there when her papa married her mama and I was there when Marinette was born. I’m actually listed as one of her legal guardians.”

Marinette detached herself from Alfred, and turned to smile brightly at his family though Alfred could tell she was curious.

“This is Master Bruce. I’ve been working with his family since before he was born, and I’m still his butler. And these are his sons.”

“I’ve actually already met all three sons at Wayne Enterprises today. Well, I met Jason before, when he helped me find the building after my class left me at the hotel, but he was really nice and helped me around. Then, Dick was leading the tour, and I sat with Timothy during lunch before . . . “ here she stopped, her eyes dimming and shoulders curving inwards.

“Jason was the one that figured out the connection between the two of you and invited her to dinner,” Master Tim cut in hastily, noticing Marinette’s discomfort. Alfred would have to do some digging to find out what happened at Wayne Enterprises. Master Dick was always the easiest to crack. Particularly if cookies are involved.

With a small glare, Marinette turned to the three boys who quailed under her look. “What they didn’t tell me was that their father was Bruce WAYNE. As in, the person that is paying for my class’s trip. If I had known that I was going to be eating dinner with him, I would have dressed a little nicer.”

“Trust me, Marinette—Can I call you Marinette?—you do not need to dress up here. Dick has worn nothing but his boxers for breakfast every morning since I started to spend the night here,” Miss Stephanie giggled.

“Hey!”

“It’s true, Big-Bird.”

“Not like you’re any better, Jay. Nightmares.”

“You cocky little sh—”  
“ENOUGH!” A loud voice cut through the banter. Master Bruce separated his boys from each other, and held out a hand for Marinette to shake.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could say they have better manners, but I would be lying. It is wonderful to meet you, though. I’ve actually looked forward to our meeting very much, as I am very interested in all the humanitarian work and service projects you and your classmates have organized and participated in.”

“It is wonderful to meet you, too, Mr. Wayne. I wanted to thank you for this opportunity.”

“None of that, Miss Dupain-Cheng. We are honored to have you as our guest tonight. And please, call me Bruce.”

“As long as you call me Marinette. I’m not a very formal person.”

As soon as Master Bruce moved away, Miss Stephanie pounced. “I’m Steph, and you’re adorable. I call dibs on taking you shopping in Gotham. It’s nothing like Paris, but let me tell you, we’ve got some crazy outfits, and I love going around critiquing people’s fashion choices.”

“You’re in luck, Steph,” Master Tim said from the doorway to the dining room. “Marinette’s an aspiring fashion designer. She showed me a dress that she based off of Wayne Tower. I’m telling you, her talent could rival MDC’s, and you know how much I want to meet her and get her to make me something. Marinette is just as good as she is.”

Alfred swore he could see literal “heart eyes” on Miss Stephanie as she looped her arm through Marinette’s and marched her over towards Miss Barbara and Master Dick.

“This is Babs. She usually joins our girl’s nights, but she doesn’t always have the best taste. I mean, she _is _dating Dick.”

The redhead gave a glare at her pseudo-sister. “Just because I’m in a wheelchair, doesn’t mean I can’t take you out, Steph.”

“Like on a date?” Miss Stephanie batted her eyes.

“No, I’ll just send Jason to do my dirty work.”

“Nasty.” And in a rare show of maturity, Miss Stephanie stuck out her tongue.

With a roll of her eyes, Miss Barbara turned to Marinette. “Hi, I’m Barbara. It’s wonderful to meet you, Marinette. I hope you’re not too scared off by our crazy family.”

Marinette shook her head with a tiny giggle that warmed the hearts of every single person in the room. “I love it. I’m an only child, and my parents are usually busy running our bakery, so the house is usually quiet. I have a few friends that are loud and rowdy, but I don’t get to see them very often. I kind of miss it.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll fit right in, here.”

Alfred was pleased to say that he definitely agreed. Master Jason seemed to have adopted her as his little sister, as had Miss Stephanie. Master Tim considered her every bit as talented as one of his idols. Miss Barbara was charmed, as was Master Dick, though Alfred could tell that he was in his worried older brother mode. Something had happened at Wayne Enterprises, and it had put all three boys on high-alert.

As for Master Bruce, Alfred could tell he was already mentally drawing up adoption papers. He, too, knew that something had happened to the small girl they found in their home, and he was also aware of the lost look in her eyes, as though her light had been dimmed for a long time. Not to mention, Marinette had black hair and blue eyes. Combined with a tragic past or traumatic event, and she was the perfect candidate for another addition to the Wayne children. Alfred decided to put a stop to that. As much as he loved his little goddaughter, a part of him hoped that she would be a good match for Master Damian, as that would make Marinette an official part of the family. A hope that would be dashed should Master Bruce adopt her. He wanted little babies running around the house again, and no one besides Master Dick seemed to be ready to settle down. Alfred would like a little insurance that he would get more grandchildren.

Alfred was distracted from thoughts of small black-haired, blue-eyed children helping him make cookies when Master Dick leaned down and hugged the girl, who enthusiastically returned it. He then gently tugged on her arm and examined a hand-shaped bruise before looking Marinette in the eyes. Alfred stomach roiled, seeing the mark of someone else touching his precious little girl like that.

“Are you doing any better? That guy didn’t bother you again, did he?”

“I’m doing better now that I’m away from everyone. Even though some of my classmates apologized for what they did, it still hurt, and I’m not quite ready to let them back into my life completely.”

“Understandable. If you need any of us to come and kick their butts for you, let us know and we’ll be there in a heartbeat. And don’t think I didn’t catch that you didn’t answer the other part of my question. Did he bother you?”

“He was talking to her when I picked her up,” piped up Master Jason from where he was standing by Master Tim. “Said some nasty things to her. I wanted to pummel the punk, but she got there first. Huh sunshine? She decked him pretty hard, though I would have preferred to see his pretty-boy nose broken.”

Marinette blushed as everyone’s eyes shot up in disbelief. She fiddled her necklace and shuffled her feet. While Alfred was impressed, he was also quite concerned, and above all, enraged. If some boy was bothering her, maybe Alfred should dig out his shotgun and join the boys on patrol that night. It may have been a long time since he’s actively participated in any fighting, but for his little Starlight, it was worth it.

“I hope it leaves a bruise,” Tim sniggered. “That a-hole deserved it.”

“I didn’t mean to, I swear. He snuck up on me and I just reacted. I’ve told him over and over again that it’s a bad idea to startle me.”

“She nearly clocked me, too,” added Jason. “Girl’s got a mean swing on her.”

“Perhaps you can tell us what happened over dinner. And maybe tell us how you got that bruise on your arm,” Bruce cut in, motioning to the dining room. Alfred felt rather sheepish, since, for the first time since working with the Waynes, he forgot completely about dinner. He just wanted to hunt down that pillock. Anger coursed through his veins, but instead of making his way to the gun cabinet, he led the way to the dining room, Marinette proudly hanging onto his arm. It was truly wonderful to see her again.

That joy did not last long, however. In a quiet voice, Marinette told the others what the boy, Adrien, had said to her before Master Jason picked her up. Master Timothy described the incident at Wayne Enterprises, when all three boys had to step in to keep him from hurting Marinette, though he still left that bruise.

“Do you want to press charges against him?” Master Bruce asked kindly. Alfred was already mentally creating a check-list of things to do to make it happen.

The poor girl looked shocked at the very idea. “I—I can’t do that. Adrien’s life would be ruined!”

Alfred’s heart broke. His little Starlight has been hurt by this boy, but she’s so conditioned to think of other’s first that she won’t protect herself. He knew all about how she went out of her way to help her classmates, and now he was finding out that they were bullying her in return. Alfred had half a mind to take a page out of Master Jason’s book and just get rid of the lot of them.

Miss Stephanie reached across the table and placed her hand on the girl’s. “That would only be his fault,” she explained. “He chose to hurt you, and from the sounds of it, he’s been harassing you for a long time now. Who’s to say he won’t do it to another girl in the future?”

Marinette shook her head. “His dad’s too powerful. Besides, no one would believe me. In Paris, everyone thinks I’m a liar, despite having proof otherwise. I would lose whatever friends I still have.”

Master Jason looked like he wanted to argue, but Miss Barbara shook her head and he reluctantly closed his mouth. Then, she turned to Marinette. “Can you tell us about what else he’s been doing to you? Has he done more than try to force you to talk to him or put you down?”  
For a moment, Alfred could have sworn he saw a small, red paw sneak out of Marinette’s purse and pat her leg. As soon as he registered the paw, it vanished and Marinette was sitting up straight, her eyes watering.

“I have a terrace above my room. It has a trapdoor leading inside, and I used to leave it unlocked. Who would try to break into a little girl’s room in a small bakery, right? Anyway, I started to lock it, because Adrien started to climb up onto my balcony to try to talk to me. At first, it was fun. He was my best friend. What I didn’t realize at the time, though, was that we were also friends online. He didn’t know that the girl he loved was really me. And vice versa. But then, Adrien told me to take the high road and to not expose this bully’s lies about me. At the same time, I started to really rebuff my online friend’s offers to date. Adrien would come to me to complain about the “love of his life”. That’s when I realized who he was, and I started to lock my room. I refused to talk to him, and he got angry.

“My best friend, Alya, outed me to the class one day. I used to have the biggest crush on Adrien, and she told everyone, including Adrien, about it, saying I was jealous of the bully, who was also interested in him. He somehow got it into his head that we were meant to be together, but by then, I had already seen that he was spineless and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I don’t want to date someone like that. I’m not sure what caused him to change targets so abruptly, but it was obvious that he just wanted someone to date, and it didn’t matter who as long as they looked somewhat like what he thought his online love looked like and would be complacent. He wanted someone to bend to his every whim, and when he didn’t find that in me, he started to get more obsessive and aggressive.

“One night, after a rather horrible day with the bully, he broke into my room. Like, destroyed the trapdoor completely, to try to force me to talk to him and to go on a date with him. It terrified me. That was when he officially revealed that he was the online gamer, and that “his Lady” had refused his advances, and since I liked him, he would go out with me.”

“Bas—"

“Miss Stephanie! Language!”

“Sorry, Alfred. Keep going, Marinette. What else did he do?”  
Marinette’s chin trembled, tears leaking down her eyes as she gazed at her hands, shoulders hunched forwards. Despite the fear in her posture, her voice was steady. “Three weeks ago, he basically kidnapped me and locked me in his room. I couldn’t get out. The Agrestes have a really incredible security system, and with Adrien right there, there wasn’t any way that I could escape. Thankfully, he didn’t do anything like rape me, but it was still terrifying. He told me that I would be free to leave if I went on a date with him to Andre’s Love Ice Cream Cart. Other than that, he refused to let me have any kind of dinner, forced me to watch movies with him, and basically made the entire thing like a date. When he finally fell asleep, a servant found me and helped me sneak out of the Manor without anyone seeing me. As you can imagine, I was hysterical and spent the night with one of my good friends. He’s always been really calm and that’s what I needed that night so I didn’t get akumatized. It came very close, though.”

Master Jason was actually snarling. Miss Stephanie looked like she was ready to go kill the boy that had hurt his little Marinette, and Alfred wanted to go with her. Let’s see how that horrible child would like to meet the business end of a shotgun. Master Bruce was taking notes, as was Miss Barbara, making sure they had as many details down as possible and comparing lists. Master Dick, however, was the one that Alfred was truly worried about. Master Jason was always considered the hothead of the family, followed by Master Damian, but Master Dick’s temper was worse than either of theirs combined when someone he cares about is threatened. Master Tim was patting his older brother on the back, sharing a panicked look with Master Bruce as Master Dick’s face hardened even more.

“It’s okay,” Marinette said, looking over the faces of the people that had been so kind to her. “I’m not hurt. Yes, the experience was horrible, and I definitely can’t trust Adrien at all anymore, but I have some really good friends that are helping me.”

“What about your parents?” Alfred asked. He needed to know if Tom and Sabine were doing anything for their little girl.

“I haven’t told them yet,” she murmured. “My Papa’s already been akumatized, and my Maman would be a prime target if I told either of them. Besides, there are lots of other people that have it worse. I know Ladybug has found a few human trafficking rings in Paris and had to take them out.”

Alfred jerked in his seat, finally realizing that Marinette was talking about some kind of threat. Yes, he had listened, but now, he realized certain things that she had mentioned that were extremely concerning.

“Marinette, did you say akumatized? As in, akumas?”  
She nodded.

“And you mentioned Ladybug? The holder of the Ladybug Miraculous?”  
Another nod.

_The red paw_.

_Just like Duusu’s._

_ Marinette is Ladybug._

_ Well, shit._

Bonus:

That moment when your siblings decide to embarrass each other in front of the newest edition. Yep, I’ve got another sister. Look out Cass, you have competition. #onlyingotham #brucewaynecollectschildren #bigbroJayatitagain #foodfight #thatmomentwhendicknearlypeeshimselflaughing #loveyoufam #StephBrownisqueen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only time I’m actually going to use a swearword in this story, and I thought it would be nice if Alfred would be the one to do the honors.
> 
> I hope I portrayed them all correctly. This is my first fic involving any of the batfam, and I hope I am doing them justice. And don’t worry, I’ll explain where Cass is in a future chapter.
> 
> Also, mwahhhahahahaha Marinette doesn’t meet Damian until chapter 10. Just a little more suffering. Also, I haven’t gotten that far, yet. I’m only on chapter eight.
> 
> Okay here’s the poll. Who should I pair Chloe with? (keep in mind that she’s not going to meet them really until the end of the story)
> 
> Cassie (Wonder Girl) or Cass (Black Bat)
> 
> Vote in the comments or message me


	7. Bruce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first off, I want to say that this is a SALT fic. Many of the characters are out of character and are being horrible people. Part of it is me portraying my feelings in these characters. The other part is that this is an AU. They’re gonna act differently anyway.
> 
> Daminette has apparently been getting hate lately, and I am just going to say that if you don’t want to read it or don’t like it, STOP. You don’t have to do something you don’t enjoy. I love Daminette and the maribat au. Doesn’t mean you have to. Adrien is horrible in this fic. At the same time, I love Marichat. It’s okay to love what you want to, and its okay to not love something. But don’t hate on other people for liking something. Show them the same courtesy that you would want to receive.
> 
> Sorry, that was my rant for the day. If you don’t like daminette, don’t read this story. If you do like daminette, welcome to the madness that is this crazy au.
> 
> And without further ado . . .

Marinette was delightful. She was full of a light that he hadn’t seen in years. Yet, she was just as damaged as the rest of them. And she was already part of the family. It would have been nice to know that Alfred had a goddaughter before today, but the man was more secretive than the League of Assassins. And of course, the old butler loved the girl just as much, if not more, than anyone else in the family. Understandable. Marinette already had most of his family wrapped around her finger and didn’t even seem to know it. That kind of innocence was refreshing. Her trauma was concerning, though. And Bruce had a feeling that they had only scratched the surface of what she’s been through. Her eyes were far too haunted.

Despite what his family may think, Bruce was not clueless about emotions, nor was he unfeeling or uncaring. He just had a hard time expressing said emotions, and had, regrettably, passed down that trait to most of his kids. Dick seemed to be the best at communicating in any way besides yelling or fighting, followed by Barbara and Stephanie, but everyone else was just as stunted as he was.

Bruce did care. A lot. And he definitely cared about this little girl that had wormed her way into the hearts of his family. Even Jason loved her, having already given the girl a nickname. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was extraordinary, and Bruce was a little ashamed to admit that he would love to adopt her into his family. Goodness knows he had too many boys. Another girl would be a delight.

Akumas. Marinette had mentioned them a couple times. As well as Ladybug, who seemed to be a vigilante of some kind.

Alfred seemed to go quite still, concerningly so, and Bruce kept one eye on him, just in case. Tim, however, was the one that voiced everyone’s question.

“What is an akuma, exactly? I heard you mention them earlier in the cafeteria, but when Babs and I tried to search them, there was only the Ladyblog. No other site mentioned them.”

The girl was confused. There was no other word for it. “That’s what Jason said earlier,” she said slowly. “He hadn’t heard about akumas or Hawkmoth or Ladybug.”

“Why don’t you tell us, then,” Bruce suggested, kindly. He was skeptical, but any kind of threat was one that he had to look into thoroughly.

Marinette took a moment to gather herself, before launching into an explanation of akumas, the first one, and Hawkmoth wanting jewels called the Miraculous. She hesitated for a second, before talking about Chat Noir, and the fact that he _was_ Ladybug’s partner, but hadn’t showed up to a fight in months. Instead, new heroes had been chosen, though one had had to move to America to escape her classmates that had bullied the girl about a traumatic event.

“What traumatic event was this?” Dick said, hesitant, but knowing that it was better that they get all the information they could about the situation in Paris.

“It was an akuma called Queen of Hearts. I never did find out why the girl was akumatized, but she was deadly. Not as bad as Syren, thank Kwami, but there were so many people killed. She carried this sword, and with it, she would either turn you into one of her playing cards or she would kill you. Ladybug was obviously on her hit list, as was Viperion, Ryuuko, and Queen Bee. Queen of Hearts captured Queen Bee’s father, who happens to be the Mayor, and, very publicly, executed him. Queenie was horrified and devastated. It was horrible to watch, and my heart was aching for her.

“Afterwards, even though Ladybug’s powers reversed all of the deaths caused by Queen of Hearts, Queen Bee was still struggling. Who wouldn’t be? At school, though, she was ridiculed and bullied about how shaken up she was. “Ladybug fixed it, so it should be fine.” “The world’s better without him, anyway.” “It’s not like he loved you. How could anyone love you?” She faced that and so much more. Alya, the Ladyblogger, managed to get a picture of the Mayor’s beheading, and printed it out before covering Queenie’s locker with the pictures. I think that was the last straw for her. She transferred to Gotham Academy just a few days later. Her mom was working in New York, and I guess they just figured she was safer here.”

Mayor of Paris. Hmmm. “I guess you mean Chloe,” Bruce said.

Marinette looked startled. “You know Chloe?”

“My youngest is in her class, and, miraculously, they struck up a friendship. We’ve become well acquainted with Chloe, though we didn’t know anything about her father dying in front of her.”

The poor girl turned deathly white. “I would never have told you if I knew that you knew her,” she whispered, aghast. “Chloe’s going to hate me now!”

Jason scooted closer to her before putting his arm around her. “Now that I know that you’re _that_ Marinette, I can tell you that Chloe could never hate you. You’re her best friend and she talks about you all the time. She was always upset at any kind of violence, and now we know why and can help her avoid any panic attacks.”

“So, everything on the Ladyblog is true?” asked Tim. That earned him a glare from Stephanie and Barbara, but he ignored them.

Perhaps a distraction was what Marinette needed, because she immediately turned to Tim and said, “Well, almost everything. The videos and reports on akumas are all true. Everything else is speculation or gossip. And the videos of Lila claiming to be Ladybug’s best friend are completely false, though Alya thinks they’re true for some reason. Everyone knows it’s a stupid idea to go around saying that you’re best friends with a superhero. That’ll place a great big target on you and your family. You’d think Alya would know that, with how often she reads comics and watches Marvel movies.”

Bruce wholeheartedly agreed. If he found anyone going around and saying that they’re best friends with Batman, he would visit them personally and let them know how astoundingly bad that idea was. Well, anyone besides villains and fellow heroes. They deserved to get their butts kicked every once in a while. Especially for something so stupid. Looking at you _Hal_.

“Marinette, do you think you could tell us more about how the akumas work?”  
“Hold on,” Dick said. “I _do_ want to know the answer to that question, but there’s another I want to ask first. You mentioned Syren being more deadly than Queen of Hearts. What happened?”  
“Syren was a mermaid and she flooded all of Paris. Only some of the rooftops were visible above water. My classmates and I made it to the roof, but there was hardly anyone else on top. I would say less than two hundred people survived out of over 2 million citizens. And the akuma took at least half an hour to defeat.” She looked down at her hands. “So many people died that day. Ladybug was able to bring them back, but it was really bad. The worst part? Those people remembered. They remembered what it felt like to drown. They felt themselves die, and the next thing they knew, they were awake and whole and alive, courtesy of Ladybug. I think that’s when Ladybug became even more serious about saving Paris. She got to the akumas a lot faster and defeated them a lot quicker. That was also when she started doing a nightly patrol of the city, hoping to stop an akuma before they start, I’d guess.”

Barbara’s fork clattered to her plate. “2 million?” she whispered, horrified.

Marinette nodded. “Most of Paris just kind of brushes it off, especially my classmates, since they survived. But yeah. Hawkmoth is a terrorist that happens to possess a magical jewel that helps him take control of helpless people. And he kills. Syren was by far the worst, but Queen of Hearts was a close second with 500,000. Hawkmoth is using people to get his way, and he doesn’t care how many people are hurt or killed as long as he gets the Miraculouses.”

“Back to my question. How do the akumas work? You say that Hawkmoth controls people, but how?”  
Marinette wiped the tears on her face. She had been crying. Mentally, Bruce face-palmed. Of course, she was crying. Her city was suffering and she had watched people die in a mass genocide.

“Negative emotions. I think Ladybug once said that the Butterfly Miraculous was supposed to be used on strong or powerful emotions, but Hawkmoth only feeds on negativity. Sadness, heartbreak, anger, pain, even sickness. Jagged Stone’s crocodile got akumatized once because the poor thing had a stomachache. A child was akumatized because he had a nightmare. A baby was akumatized because he wanted a lollipop. It doesn’t matter. Though, the more powerful the emotion, the stronger the akuma. People are scared to deal with their emotions in a healthy way. I’ve been bullied for the past two years, but I can’t allow myself to feel any kind of pain or hurt because I do not want to ever become akumatized. The only problem is, Hawkmoth has an ally who has been doing her best to make me accept Hawkmoth. It’s almost worked a few times, but I’ve always been able to repress my emotions enough for the akuma to back off. A month ago, my Grandpere died, and we weren’t able to properly mourn him.” Alfred hung his head, his eyes full of sorrow. Bruce’s heart went out to his old companion. Alfred had told them that he had been friends with Marinette’s grandparents.

“Our city is struggling. It’s dying. Honestly, I’m surprised that we still have so many people living there with akumas attacking every other day.”

Bruce looked around the table at his family. They were all of one mind. Good. “What can we do to help with Hawkmoth?”

“What?” Marinette looked completely caught off guard.

“Is there anything we can do? Send supplies? Red Cross? Money?”  
“Well, Ladybug’s power fixes everything, so the only damage left behind is emotional and mental. But I guess that’s part of the reason I decided to apply for the Wayne Foundation Competition. Batman is the greatest detective on earth, and his associates are nearly as good as he is. We need Hawkmoth taken down. It’s as simple as that. Until Hawkmoth is stopped and the Butterfly Miraculous safe, Paris will be in danger.

“I wanted to see if I could find any of Gotham’s heroes and talk to them about the situation. Maybe get some input and ideas. I’m no detective, but I’ve been trying to track him down. Ladybug will occasionally stop by on my balcony and give me bits of information she’s collected so I can try to piece it all together. I’m hoping a fresh pair of eyes will be able to point me in the right direction.”

Based on the looks from the whole family, she would be getting a visit from more than one hero that night. Although, Jason looked like he had a few other errands that he wanted to run. _I should probably send Dick with him. While he has a temper, he’s better at controlling it._

“Are there any clues that you can tell us? I mean, Tim likes to solve cold cases in his pastime, so he can probably give your evidence a look over.”

Marinette took a deep breath. Thankfully, she was no longer crying, but her eyes screamed desperation. “Hawkmoth has at least two people helping him. Mayura, who is currently wielding the Peacock Miraculous.”

“No,” Alfred gasped, his eyes wide and horrified. Curious.

Marinette gave him a strange, calculating look before continuing. “And Lila. She’s been trying to get me to slip up and get akumatized, but has failed so far. Instead, she’s been the voluntary instigator of a mass akumatization. Basically, her akuma form could create illusions, just like the Fox Miraculous, and showed an akumatized Ladybug kill Chat Noir in front of most of Paris. Hawkmoth made an akuma whose power was to boost his own, allowing him to send out as many butterflies as he wanted. He nearly won that day.

“Lila has caused so many problems, that she is the number one reason people are getting akumatized, and no one seems to realize it, because she has somehow manipulated everyone into thinking that she’s the victim.”

“Does he have any other allies?”

Again, Marinette hesitated, as though she was worried about telling them something. But they needed to know if they were going to be able to help and Bruce could only hope that she’d be willing to share.

“Hawkmoth wants the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculouses to make a wish. The combined power of creation and destruction can alter reality to fulfill a wish, but it comes at a price. Those two Miraculouses have to be in use at the same time so that there’s balance. The wish is the same way. If you wish for someone to come back from the dead, you kill someone else. Sometimes, it can lead to catastrophic events like the Black Plague or the French Revolution. Either way, we cannot let Hawkmoth get his hands on either Miraculous.

“I have a hunch who Hawkmoth is, and he has a motive for using the wish. His son happens to be Chat Noir, who hasn’t been showing up to any akuma attacks for the last six months. The few times he shows up for patrol, Ladybug says that he says he’s staying away from the battle as a safeguard for his own Miraculous, never mind the fact that the Ladybug one should be protected since only she can purify the akuma and reverse damages. I’m worried that Chat Noir might have been turned over to Hawkmoth’s side, and is working with his father to get the Ladybug Miraculous.”

The room was silent as the implications of Marinette’s statement hit them all. Ladybug was facing more than one supervillain, and her own partner might have betrayed her and was fighting for her enemy. Yes, the hero had other allies, but that kind of pain never vanishes, and it’s amazing that Ladybug is able to continue being a hero at all.

Bruce looked at the small girl sitting in between Jason and Alfred and was shocked to realize that Marinette was smiling. _Smiling._ Not in some way that indicated a villain in the making, but a soft one as she placed her hand on Alfred’s shoulder, shocking the man out of whatever thoughts he had had. The girl looked at all of them, making sure to make eye contact with each person at the table.

“It’s okay. Paris is still strong. Ladybug is still strong. She has a few other heroes that are helping her fight, and she hasn’t failed us yet. There’s not much anyone can do until we figure out who Hawkmoth is and how to stop him. But I didn’t come here to complain. I want to know more about all of you. After all, you’re Alfred’s family, which means you’re my family, too.”

They were silent for a moment. Bruce was completely blown away by the strength this young girl showed. Somehow, she was still positive and bright, despite everything the world had put her through. And he suspected they didn’t know everything yet.

“I’m Stephanie.” His daughter was the first to break the silence. Marinette beamed at the girl. “But I already introduced myself to you. Tim said that you like fashion?”  
It was amazing to see Marinette literally light up as she started talking about some of the clothes she had designed, including her shorts jumpsuit that she was wearing. _Impressive. You can’t even tell that it was handmade._ Marinette’s enthusiasm spread to the rest of his family. Tim happily joined the discussion on fashion, while Alfred would butt in occasionally and talk about some of the pieces the girl had made for him over the years. Jason and Dick seemed to be having a nonverbal conversation, one that Bruce couldn’t quite read. But soon, both boys were laughing and teasing each other, telling Marinette embarrassing stories, and she listened, reciprocating with her own humorous experiences. Barbara, the one sitting closest to Bruce leaned over.

“Jason and Dick are planning on visiting Marinette’s teacher tonight. I made them promise to take Tim or Stephanie with them so they don’t do anything reckless. I think they want to show her how dangerous this city really is and how irresponsible she was to leave Marinette all alone.”

Bruce nodded. He figured his boys would do something like that. At least he only had to worry about two hotheads, since Damian was staying with Jon and Chloe tonight. Although . . . “I might join them as well. Maybe I can swing by Marinette’s room and get some more information on Hawkmoth and the other heroes.”

“Maybe wait until tomorrow. The girl has gone through enough, she doesn’t need to relive everything twice in one night. Batman can do the interrogations tomorrow once she’s rested and recovered.”

No matter how much Bruce didn’t like it, he had to admit that Barbara made sense. He wasn’t sure what to think about these butterflies that prey on negative emotion and attack the city. Part of him believed it, but there was a reason why Batman was considered the greatest detective in the world. He was cautious and skeptical of anything that seemed innocent. One look at Marinette was all it took to convince him to ignore his curiosity for another day and let the girl heal in whatever way she could. After all, there was no denying that Marinette had suffered some kind of traumatic event with the way her eyes just bled. So, instead of interrogating her, he joined in the conversation, enjoying the warmth flowing through his home.

_Yes,_ he thought. _Marinette really is family._

Bonus:

Rude @StephBrown I did not almost pee. But I am eager to see our new little sis again. #shenanigans #alfredisnotamused #marinetteissunshine #sunshineofgotham #waynefamily #onlyingotham

@FlyingGrayson That’s my nickname for her. Get your own. #truethough #sunshonebrighter #whenshesmiled #sunshineofgotham

I’m I the only one that is seeing this? Was I right? Did Bruce Wayne adopt that girl that bumped into Jason earlier today? #onlyingotham #sunshineofgotham #wayneboys #imafortunetellernow #comingsoontoacircusnearyou

Let’s make #sunshineofgotham trend!! If you see her (French, black hair, blue eyes), make a post and tag #sunshineofgotham. We’re gonna make this girl famous! #onlyingotham #lovenewwaynes #moregirls #girlpower

Bonus 2:

“Holy crap!! Jason!! Marinette is trending! I made her twitter famous!”

“Dick, it’s eight in the morning. Get your annoying face out of my room before I throttle you with this pillow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first two tags in Bonus 1 are kind of a continuation of last chapter’s bonus section. More like a response.
> 
> There’s chapter seven for you all. I really need to get writing again, because I only have one more chapter finished. Good thing tomorrow is going to be a relaxing day for me (aka full of housework. Having a chronic disease and a cold is not conducive for a clean room.)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this part. It’s been giving me troubles because I just can’t write Bruce. Is he a helicopter parent? Is he an absent parent? Is he somehow both?
> 
> Also, the race is on. Who will win, Alfred or Bruce? Adoption or marriage into the family?
> 
> (we all know the answer to this one.)
> 
> Cass is winning, by the way.


	8. Marinette

Despite having to explain everything that was going on in Paris in a way that made the Wayne family understand how critical the situation in Paris was, she still had a wonderful night. Alfred’s family were so welcoming, and they listened and _believed_ her. Marinette couldn’t contain the joy she felt and let out a loud whoop as Jason swerved around various cars. The thrill of dodging through traffic at high speeds made her heart loosen. It wasn’t quiet like swinging through Paris, but it was close, and she relished in the adrenaline.

“Careful Sunshine,” Jason laughed. Marinette felt, more than heard the chuckle as she was pressed up against his back. “Don’t want you to go blowing away in the wind.”

“I told you earlier, Jay. I’m tougher than I look.”  
“After what you told us, I don’t doubt it, Sunshine.”

The hotel lobby was deserted, when Marinette made her way through the door. Or at least, she thought it was until a lamp clicked on, revealing Adrien. Marinette stiffened. She had been having such a good night, too. The hotel doors opened again, and she turned to see Jason striding in, his sharp gaze never wavering from the boy sitting in the dark.

“I was concerned about the riffraff,” he said. “Thought I’d walk you to your room.”  
Marinette was about to protest, but one look at the anger in Adrien’s eyes made her agree. “Thanks, Jay,” she said.

He started to head towards the elevator, but Marinette stopped him with a hand snagging at his jacket sleeve. “Let’s take the stairs,” she murmured. “That way Adrien isn’t able to sabotage the elevator while we’re in it.”

Jason nodded and changed direction to the stairs in the corner, which were, incidentally, out of Adrien’s line of sight. Once they were safely in the stairwell, Marinette led the way, allowing Jason to put himself in between her and where Adrien would potentially follow them.

“Do you really think he’s capable of sabotaging the elevator?” he asked. “Not that I don’t trust you,” he added hastily, once Marinette turned to him, anger flaring in her eyes, “but he seems like an idiot to me.”  
The ice Marinette felt in her soul when she recalled the way Chat Noir had cataclysmed her trapdoor rushed through her once more. “He is very capable of doing that. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating him,” she warned. Jason nodded, and the pair continued to climb to the fourteenth floor where her class had their rooms. While Marinette knew Jason was fit and in good shape, she was still surprised to see that he wasn’t even a little winded after their climb. Even Kim had to take a few moments to settle his breathing. Definitely impressive.

Marinette’s room was the one that was closest both to the stairway and to the elevator. Madame Bustier had explained that the room closest to the exits was also the first one to be attacked, and the class had practically shoved her to that one by herself. It would have hurt more if Marinette wasn’t already used to this kind of behavior from her old friends.

“Marinette!”

Both of them turned towards the person, stance relaxed and arms up to block or protect their bodies from an attacker. Pink hair registered, and then the tall forms of Juleka and Kim, with Marc and Max behind them. It was her classmates. Marinette sighed, assuming that Lila had ensnared them once more and they were here to yell accusations.

“We were so worried, Marinette,” gasped out Max from behind Kim’s towering figure. He squeezed between his two friends to come and stand in front of Marinette. “We realized that you left around six and no one knew where you were and you weren’t answering your phone. Madame Bustier said you left without saying anything. We were scared Joker or Scarecrow or someone had gotten you.”

Alix seemed to sway on the balls of her feet for a moment before she launched herself at Marinette, pulling the girl into a fierce hug. “Don’t scare us like that, Nette. We can’t lose you.”

And she thought she had gotten all her crying done earlier. Hah. Marinette pulled away from Alix and wiped her eyes. “You were all really worried about me?” she asked, looking from Alix to Max to Marc to Juleka and finally to Kim. In each of their eyes, she only saw sincerity.

“We told you earlier, Marinette,” Marc piped up, “we’re so sorry for how we treated you and we know what Lila’s been doing to you. She tried to claim that you were out to try to get yourself kidnapped for attention, but Alix and Kim shut that down really fast. It was almost comical how quickly she changed the subject to her “boyfriend” Damian Wayne.”

Jason let out a snort. “Wait, that girl is claiming that Damian Wayne is her boyfriend?”

Kim quirked an eyebrow. “Who are you again?” he asked, not unkindly.

“Oh, this is my friend Jason. His grandfather is actually one of my guardians and I went to have dinner with them tonight. His family is extremely nice.”

“Enough of that. Back to the fact that this Lila girl thinks she’s somehow dating Damian Wayne? Exactly how did she think she could get away with a lie like that?” Jason cackled. He actually cackled.

Alix cocked her hip. “What’s so funny about that?”

With a final snort, Jason leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest, hair flopping over his face. “Do you guys know the names of Bruce Wayne’s other sons?” he asked. Marinette groaned.

“Please tell me you’re not about to do what I think you are about to do,” she muttered.

“Oh Sunshine, you know me so well already,” Jason said with a wink before turning back to her classmates.

“Well, according to my research,” Max started, “the eldest is Richard Grayson, current head of PR at Wayne Enterprises. Then there’s Jason Todd. No one really knows what he does. They just see him out on the streets. Tim Drake-Wayne is next, and he is Co-CEO of Wayne Enterprises and will become sole CEO when he turns 25. I love his blogs about the cutting-edge technology WE is producing. He has a daughter named Cassandra, but I can’t find any other information on her, and Stephanie Brown is the next. Apparently, she was dating Tim for awhile before they broke up. Damian is the youngest and the only blood child of Bruce Wayne.”

Alix was the first to get it. She let out a loud curse word that had Max slapping a hand over her mouth before bursting out into laughter. “Oh my gosh! That is so funny! You’re Damian’s brother and Lila has been going on and on about him all day.”

Marc’s brow furrowed. “That would mean that Richard Grayson, our tour guide, is another one of the Waynes. And that Tim guy in the cafeteria was a CEO.”

Max pouted. Turned down mouth and everything. “I missed talking to Tim Drake-Wayne today and I didn’t even realize it?”  
Everyone chuckled and Jason gave the spectacled boy a grin. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling that you’ll see him again soon. After all, since Marinette is Alfred’s goddaughter, she’s family. And we take care of our family. Now,” he clapped his hands together, “it is time for me to head home. If Bruce is going to get his way, you guys will have a bit of a surprise tomorrow morning, and I would recommend getting some sleep tonight. Marinette, you have my number. Call if you need anything of if your incompetent teacher leaves you again. And the rest of you . . . “ he leveled a glare at them. “Take care of Marinette. She’s been through some tough things lately, and she needs people that support her unconditionally. If I find out that any of you have hurt her in anyway, you will definitely regret it.”

With that statement, Jason walked over to the stairs and disappeared.

“Wow. That was kinda crazy,” said Marc, walking over and giving Marinette a hug. “I really am glad you’re okay. And in the future, if you go out on the town with your new family, please text one of us.”

“Oh, that actually reminds me, I got a new number two weeks ago. Something happened with a stalker who had my number, and I decided it would be better to just not deal with him constantly calling me at all times of the day.”

“Someone was stalking you?” Kim asked, a glare forming to match that of the rest of her classmates.

Marinette flapped her hand in a vague dismissive gesture. “Not important. I need to get your numbers again.” She dug her phone out of her purse and handed it over to Alix, who in turn dug out her phone and imputed everyone else’s number in. She then created a group chat with the name Marinette’s Baes. They all giggled at that, and Marinette once again dug through her purse for her room key and opened up the door.

“Would you guys like to come in?” she asked, holding it open for them.

No words were said, but each of her friends—_friends_—jostled to fit through the door at the same time. It was nice to have people supporting her again. She had missed this.

Once everyone was situated and comfortable, Kim crossed his arms, much like Jason had done earlier. “Who’s stalking you, Marinette?” he asked bluntly.

“What? No one. No one is stalking anybody. What are you talking about? Crazy idea.” Oh great. They’d definitely believe her after _that_ award-winning performance.

“Wow. That was sooo convincing,” Alix sneered. Marc scooched closer to Marinette on the bed and put his arm around her.

“I know we haven’t really been there for you and we haven’t actually seen you around in months, but we do care about you, Marinette. We want you to feel safe.”

Marinette leaned her head on Marc’s shoulder. “I know. I guess I’m just tired. He tried to hold me hostage at his house a few weeks ago and I managed to sneak out. It took about a week before I finally convinced my parents to let me change my number without getting them akumatized. I don’t think I want to talk about it tonight, though. I appreciate your support, I really do, but I don’t think I can handle it right now.”

“No problem,” said Juleka. She paused for a second, then, “Does Luka know?”

Marinette nodded. “I went to stay with him after I escaped, since I figured the guy would try to get me back if I stayed at my house.”

Her friends nodded in agreement, and slowly, their postures relaxed. They had accepted her explanation and desire to not talk about it without any of the fuss that Alya would have thrown.

“What’s been new with you guys?” she asked.

“Marc finally asked out that boy from the arts college, and they’re planning on going to an arts festival after we get back to Paris. Kim and I are already planning on crashing their date.”

“Allliixxxx!” Marc groaned hiding his blushing face in his hoodie.

“You say that like you aren’t also in a relationship,” Juleka countered.

“What? Alix, since when?” beamed Marinette.

“Oh, you’ve done it Juleka. Now I’ll have Marinette planning all of our dates.”

“I’m not that bad of a planner,” she protested.

“Honey, all of the times you tried to confess to Adrien were horrible plans.”

Marinette blushed. “Okay, those were bad. But in my defense, they were mostly Alya’s plans. Especially if they had us rushing all over the city.” She waved her hand. “That’s beside the point. Who are you dating?”  
This time, it was Alix’s cheeks that turned pink and she glanced over at Kim and Max who were sitting close to each other. Marinette’s eyes lit up.

“No way,” she breathed. “Yes!! I knew you three would always end up together! Alya owes me twenty euros.”

“You bet on us?” Max asked.

“Of course, we did. How could we not? With Alix and Kim always betting on things, of course, we would want to make a game of it. Alya was convinced that Alix was going to be single for life, since she didn’t seem to care for anyone in particular. I told her it was only a matter of time before you three started to date.”

“For a while there, she might have been right,” Alix said. “Then, these two dorks decided to kidnap me and I decided I liked them enough to be with them. Best decision ever.”

A loud knock halted any other discussion that would have happened. Marinette immediately shushed her friends and walked to the door.

“Marinette? Can I talk to you?”

“Nino?”

“Yeah. I—uh—I wanted to apologize.”

Marinette saw Alix shake her head, while Marc motioned her to open the door. The others were impassive.

She opened the door.

Nino was twirling his familiar red cap in his hands, crumpling it up and smoothing it out again. He only ever did that when he was extremely nervous about something.

“Why don’t you come in? There’s a few other people here, but if you’d prefer, we can talk on the balcony.”

“No, it’s fine.” He came in and waved sheepishly at the others. A couple of them waved back, which seemed to give him courage. “I owe all of you an apology. I figured out Lila was lying back when Alya and I broke up, and I should have told you all. I just figured no one would believe me.”

“You know she’s lying?” Marinette asked, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing.

“Yeah. I mean, Lila told Alya I was cheating on her with you, and I know that I wasn’t. After that, I kinda realized everything she was saying was a lie.”

Marinette pulled Nino into a hug. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’m your friend.”  
He let out a tiny sob. “I treated you so horribly before I figured everything out, I didn’t think you’d want to see me. I’m so sorry, Mari. I should have trusted you from the start. Her lies weren’t even that believable, and I’ve known you since we were kids. I know how much you hate liars and you never are mean to people, even the ones that treat you horribly.”  
“Oh, Nino. It’s okay. I’m just glad you know and that you can’t be hurt by her anymore.”

“Besides,” cut in Kim with a smirk, “we can take Lila down. We don’t have to worry about her being akumatized while we’re in Gotham, and Marinette knows the Waynes. We can debunk every lie she’s ever told.”

Everyone cheered loudly and jumped on the bed, creating a dogpile of humans.

“Oh, before I forget,” Nino said from where he was cuddling up next to Marinette, “I wanted to warn you that Alya, Lila, and Adrien are on the warpath. They kicked me out when they were planning some kind of way to get you to talk to him or something.”

Marinette groaned. “Why can’t he just leave me alone.”

“Adrien’s the stalker,” she heard Marc whisper on her other side.

Alix punched the air. “When I get my hands on him—”

“Woah, guys. It’s okay, he’s not going to hurt me. I won’t let him.”

BOOM!

Marinette squeaked and she quickly got up.

“What are you doing?” Max hissed.

“Stay quiet. I think it’s Adrien at the door,” she whispered back.

“MARINETTE! OPEN THIS DOOR!”

She held a finger to her lips.

“I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!”

Juleka grabbed Marc’s hand.

“I’LL GIVE YOU TO THE COUNT OF THREE TO OPEN THE DOOR OR I’M COMING IN!”

“Hide Marinette,” Kim breathed as he put her behind him.

“ONE!”

“He’ll kill you. You all need to hide.”

“TWO!”

“We’re not leaving you again, Marinette,” said Nino.

“THREE!”

Oh no.

“CATACLSYM!”

“IN THE BATHROOM NOW!”

Marinette’s sudden shout startled her friends into action, and they scrambled over to the bathroom, hiding in the corner.

The door burst open, shards of wood breaking the windows on the other side and cracking the light fixtures. Cold air rushed in, the room went dark, and all Marinette could see was the light from the hallway and a shadow in the doorway.

“Marinette.” The singsong voice sent chills down her spine and she reached behind her to grab any hand she could. Someone grabbed on, and she squeezed them tight.

“Come out, Princess. We need to have a little—_chat_—about seeing other people.”

She was shaking. She couldn’t do this again. Never again.

“Claws in.”

A flash of green light illuminated the room, as well as the group of kids in the corner.

“Found you. Now, why don’t you come away from them, and no one will get hurt.”

“Mari, don’t,” Nino whispered.

“Don’t listen to that traitor,” Adrien snarled. He stalked forward, his eyes the only glowing thing in the room. “You belong to me.”

“She doesn’t belong to anyone,” Kim said, pulling Marinette behind him.

“No, Kim. He’ll kill you,” she begged. She tried to get back in front, to act as some kind of barrier between her personal nightmare and her friends.

“He’s already used his cataclysm. He can’t hurt me.”

“Oh, Kim. You really should listen to Marinette. After all, she knows me better than anyone else.”

Marinette finally managed to escape the clutches of her friends. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she faced her tormentor who was once her best friend. “Chat, leave them alone.”

“Only if you come with me, Princess.”

“Marinette—”

“Don’t—”

“Oka—”

“STOP!”

In the dim light from the hallway, Marinette could see two figures standing by the broken window, large and menacing. Marc let out a squeak, and Marinette blindly searched for him in the dark. She found him and grabbed his hand with her free one and gave it a squeeze.

“Who are you,” she demanded, stepping forward.

“Relax, little lady,” said one of the men. “We saw that guy break down your door and wanted to help you out.”

“Kim, find the light switch in the bathroom. We need to be able to see,” Marinette murmured, and a minute later, light flooded the room.

The two men were tall, and muscular, though one was built more like a tank, and the other like a gymnast. Despite their intimidating appearances, Marinette felt a sense of safety wash over her. That was when she recognized the outfits. The gymnast was in a mostly black spandex suit, with a blue symbol across his chest and running down his arms. He had two Escrima sticks in his hands, and the black mask on his face did nothing to disguise the contempt and anger that was directed towards Adrien.

The other was a more difficult read. He had a red helmet on that covered his entire head, a dark grey spandex suit, with cargo pants and a leather jacket over top. He had one gun in a holster on his left side. The other one was trained on Adrien.

Nightwing and Red Hood.

Two of Gotham’s heroes.

Sorry. Vigilantes.

“This isn’t your business,” Adrien snarled, turning to grab Marinette’s arm. Kim pulled her back, and leveled a glare at the boy.

“On the contrary,” said Nightwing, “it is our business. You see, some concerned citizens alerted us to Miss Marinette being left behind and being mistreated by an Adrien Agreste. I assume you’re the a-hole.”

“Look, you obviously don’t know what’s going on here,” Adrien sneered as he shoved Kim over and grabbed Marinette’s arm tightly. She let out a squeak and slapped a hand to her mouth.

Red Hood turned towards her, and Marinette guessed that he had heard that little noise. With two large steps and a hope over the bed, the vigilante was right next to the small group of kids, his gun pointed upwards rather than at a specific person.

“I think I know what’s going on here. You broke into a hotel room without permission, caused extensive damage to the hotel property, and you’re terrorizing a bunch of kids, one of which has been a victim of being harassed by you. So, yes, it’s our business.”

“My Princess knows she belongs to me; she just needs to accept it. And she won’t accept it until I force her to talk to me.”

Okay. Rude.

“Adrien, I told you, I don’t belong to anyone. I’m my own person.”

“Come on, Princess, you love me.”

“I never loved you. I thought I did, but then you showed your true colors, and I have no desire to be anywhere near you ever again.”

“Meowch, Princess.”

Marinette grimaced. “Stop calling me that.”

“Oh, Mari, you know you love it. It just melts your heart.”

She tried to pull her arm away from the ex-hero, but his grip tightened and he twisted it at an awkward angle. A sharp twinge raced up from her wrist to her elbow, and Marinette let out a small cry. Red Hood’s eyes seemed even deader, and he lowered his gun to point right at Adrien’s head.

“Let go of her, now.” The vigilante’s voice was eerily calm, and it sent shivers up the spines of everyone in the room.

Adrien scoffed. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

Marinette closed her eyes in exasperation. That dumb cat was going to get himself shot.

“As I’m the one with the gun, yes I can.”

Nightwing stepped around the bed and placed a hand on Red Hood’s shoulder, giving a tiny shake of his head. Hopefully with the older vigilante there, no one would get shot. Who knows what kinds of trouble that would bring to this already chaotic trip?

With a cackle, Adrien held his right hand up, where a silver ring was sitting on his finger. “Plagg,” he called, “Claws Out.”

Nothing happened.

Marinette swore she saw an unamused expression on Red Hood’s face, despite him having a helmet on, covering his entire face.

“And what exactly was that supposed to do?” The vigilante flipped his gun around and shoved the butt of it into Adrien’s chest, pressing on it enough to cause the boy to wince. “Now. Let go of the little lady.”

Sweet relief and mercy, Adrien finally listened. He let go of Marinette’s arm and shoved her into Red Hood, before darting out of the room and down the hall. Nightwing went to chase him down, but, “Please, don’t. I know he deserves to be locked up, but it’s not worth it right now.”

“What are you talking about?” Alix said incredulously. “If anything, now is the perfect time so he can’t get akumatized.”

“He has the Black Cat Miraculous. If you try to take it from him without Ladybug as backup, he will use his power on you,” Marinette explained patiently. “I’ve never seen what it does to a person before, but it can cause the entire Eiffel Tower to crumble to dust and we’re a lot more fragile compared to that. I don’t want any of you to die. We have to wait for Ladybug to take away his Miraculous before any legal action can be taken against him.”

“As much as I hate to say it, Adrien is not in the best frame of mind right now. Hasn’t been for a couple of years. He’s just been getting darker and more manic. He would absolutely use his cataclysm on someone if it meant he could be with Marinette,” added Nino. He squeezed Marinette’s hand, and that was when she realized that his was the one she had grabbed when the door had first broken in.

Kim shook his head. “I thought Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug,” he said. “If Adrien’s Chat Noir, why is he going after Marinette?”

“I think that one was Alya’s fault,” answered Marinette. She had been completely humiliated by her former best friend, and it still stung. “She told Adrien about my crush in the middle of the cafeteria. I guess Ladybug had rejected him again that day or the night before, because that night, he showed up on my balcony, saying that we were meant to be together. He also revealed that he was Adrien that night.”

“But Mari! That was nearly a year and a half ago! Why haven’t you said anything about it?” Marc gasped.

“I didn’t think anyone would believe me. They didn’t believe me about Lila, why would they believe me when I’m complaining about the Sunshine Child? I would have become even more isolated.”

Alix took both of Marinette’s hands from Nino and Marc and looked in the girl’s eyes. “Never again. You are never going to feel alone and isolated again if I have anything to say about it. We’re here for you. We care about you, not that brat.”

Choruses of agreement echoed all around the room, and Marinette gave each of her friends a watery smile. “You guys are the best,” she whispered.

A cough startled the group, and they turned to see the two vigilantes standing awkwardly next to the broken window. Nightwing came a half step forward. “I hope you guys are all okay.”

With a quick glance at everyone, Marinette nodded. The man smiled and went to step out the window when a thought hit her.

“WAIT! What did you mean, a concerned citizen told you I was being harassed?”

The two vigilantes shared a look before Red Hood gestured for Nightwing to take the lead. “Bruce Wayne was concerned, especially after his sons told him about you being left behind by your teacher and class today. Gotham is really dangerous, and Jason even mentioned he thought he saw a Penguin goon following you. We swung by to remind your teacher of the dangers of Gotham and to tell her to take better care of her charges. We heard shouting from down the hall, and when we got to this room, the windows shattered. Figured we’d drop in and help out.”

Marinette gave a tired smile. “Thank you for your help, but you didn’t need to talk to Miss Bustier about today. It’s fine.”

Nightwing knelt in front of Marinette and took her hands in his. “It is never alright for an adult to treat a child this way. It doesn’t matter if the child is three or seventeen, they are still their responsibility. What if Riddler had caught you? Or Joker? Not to mention how close this hotel is to Crime Alley. You could have very easily been killed today, and it would have been because of your teacher’s negligence. It was very needed, and Red Hood and I were happy to do it.”

Red Hood moved to stand behind his brother. “Do you have a place to stay tonight? You can’t exactly sleep in this room.”

“It’s just Juleka and I in my room. She can spend the rest of the trip with us. That way we can make sure she gets up on time and Miss Bustier won’t be able to let Alya and Lila leave her behind again.”

“Gather up your things. We’ll keep an eye on you guys from across the street for the rest of the night to make sure that guy doesn’t try anything again, if that’s okay with you,” Nightwing said, giving her hands a slight squeeze before letting go.

Marinette glanced at Juleka and Alix since they would be offering up their room to her and they deserved to have their opinions heard. They both nodded enthusiastically.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you for your help,” Marinette said with a soft smile.

Nightwing moved to the window, climbed out onto the balcony, and with a two-fingered salute, he jumped off, disappearing into the night.

“Make sure you don’t strain that arm of yours for the next little bit,” Red Hood said. “The way that a-hole twisted it could have very easily resulted in a broken arm. Take it easy.”

And with that, he was gone, too.

The room was silent for a moment.

“Adrien’s Chat Noir?!?! That douchebag!” yelled Kim with a sudden realization.

“You knew that,” said Max, looking at his boyfriend with fond exasperation. “You literally asked about why he was trying to be with Marinette.”

“I know, but I guess it didn’t really register until now.”

With a heart lightened by laughter and old friendships renewed, Marinette fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in years. (It probably didn’t hurt that Alix and Juleka had pushed the beds together and cuddled around Marinette.) She felt safe. Protected. Watched over. Loved.

Bonus:

Heard crunching outside my window at three in the morning and went to investigate. Found Nightwing and Red Hood chilling, eating an entire party-sized bag of Doritos each. I asked them what they were doing, and they said “Stakeout.” Okay, but can you not do it outside my bedroom window? Thanks. #onlyingotham #thatsalotofdoritos #tooearlyforthis #imgoingbacktobed


	9. Jason

It was 3 AM when the Big B decided to call everyone back to the Bat Cave. Neither Jason nor Dick complained. After all, it wasn’t fun sitting on a fire escape all night, particularly when the owner of said fire escape comes out to yell at them for being too loud. Well, excuse you. There’s not much a vigilante can do when they’re staking out. Jason glared at the window one last time before following Dick back towards Wayne Manor. Tomorrow night, he was going to come and sing Phantom of the Opera at the top of his lungs outside their window.

“Come on, Red! You’re falling behind!”

“Stupid circus freaks,” Jason muttered under his breath as he leapt off a skyscraper, freefalling for a moment before shooting off his grappling cable.

“You know we can all hear you,” said Tim in the earpiece.

“Forgot I had all you idiots in my ear,” Jason responded.

“Just get back here. We have a lot to discuss,” Bruce’s voice cut over everyone else’s cries of indignation and offense.

“Yeah, we do,” Dick said, unusually serious. “We’ll tell you what happened when we get to the Cave. Nightwing out.”

With two experienced heroes that had grown up in Gotham and had learned how to fight on the rooftops, it wasn’t long before they reached Wayne Manor and crept inside. Jason made a quick detour to the kitchen and snagged a plate full of Alfred’s cookies, figuring everyone would want a snack. Especially if that snack was anything Alfred made.

“Hurry up, Jay,” shouted Dick from the hallway where the old grandfather clock was. The secret entrance was already open and the brothers squeezed inside, letting the elevator take them down to the belly of the beast.

The Cave was remarkably similar to when both of them had first started out. Bruce wasn’t big on redesigning anything, and the only big change was the pasture that had been built for the Batcow. Barbara sat at the large computer that took up most of one wall, Tim next to her, while Batman stood behind them both.

“Good. You’re here,” Bruce said, tugging his cowl off as he turned to look at them. “Cass is tuning in. She can’t do much with her being in Hub City with Question, but I figured she’d like to be kept in the loop.”

“None of us would want to miss a war council,” shrugged Jason, offering a cookie to Steph who was bouncing on the balls of her feet next to Alfred. She took one and stuffed it into her mouth, giving him a quick thumbs up. Alfred merely cocked an eyebrow at them. “I assume this is about everything that Marinette told us, today?”

“It is a serious threat, and we need to see if the Justice League needs to be brought in to deal with it.”

“Pardon me, Master Bruce, but I don’t believe Paris needs a rowdy bunch of costumed heroes parading around the streets. What they need is someone to find this Hawkmoth.”

Bruce turned to Alfred. “You believe that there are magical butterflies possessing people?”

No. No way was Bruce going to ignore what Marinette had told them. No way was he going to brush her trauma aside. Immediately, Jason handed Steph the plate and stalked up to Bruce, grabbing a fistful of cloak and getting into the old man’s face.

“Are you doubting what Marinette told us? Are you denying that there’s a real problem that we aren’t aware of? You didn’t see her eyes, did you? She’s lived through hell. And I know that ‘cause I’ve been there. She’s watched millions of people die over and over again, and you’re just going to negate that?”  
Bruce grabbed Jason’s wrist and gently tugged his hand free. “I merely wanted to make sure we are all on the same page. After everything I’ve fought over the years, magical butterflies are relatively normal. Of course, I believe Marinette. But we need to make sure that all of her information is accurate and not biased. She didn’t give us a lot of hard evidence to go off of.”

“Master Bruce, if I may,” Alfred interjected. “I can assure you that what Marinette told us is completely true, and Paris is indeed suffering from a domestic terrorist.”

Jason stepped back, the toe of his steel-toed boots scraping the ground. He mumbled a vague apology sounding grunt in Bruce’s direction before turning to look at Alfred.

The butler gave a sigh and picked up a cup of tea from one of the many tables in the room. “I suppose it’s time that I tell you a bit more about my past. But for you to understand, you have to first understand the Miraculouses.

“Each Miraculous is a gem or piece of jewelry that houses an ancient being or sprite; a god if you will. They embody a perfect idea. Love. Hate. Protection. Illusion. There are various tiers of power in the Miraculous box. The lesser ones are the Zodiacs, both Chinese and Greek. Then, there’s the outer ring. Those are the Miraculouses of the Fox, Bee, Turtle, Peacock, and Butterfly. The innermost ring houses the Miraculouses of the Black Cat and the Ladybug. They are the most powerful, and can only ever be used in tandem with one another, for without balance between the two, the whole world could be destroyed. The Ladybug sprite, called a kwami, is the embodiment of Creation, while the Black Cat is pure Destruction.

“Through the Miraculous, a human can harness a small portion of the kwami’s power and use them for good. If they fall into the hands of an evil or selfish person, then bad things happen, and the Miraculous can become corrupt.

“Years ago, when I was fighting in World War II, I came across the Miraculous of the Peacock, and became Duusu’s designated holder for a time. Another man held the Butterfly, whose kwami’s name is Nooroo. We went behind enemy lines and used the powers to help the Allied forces break through the Germans and into France.

“The Peacock Miraculous is the Miraculous of Support. With it, I was able to support or enhance my partner’s powers, creating various champions and heroes to help us do our work. I also became adept at reading other people and spotting lies and deception. That was a talent that remained with me after I lost Duusu. As an ally, you can have no better than the Peacock. As an enemy, you can have no worse foe.”

The distant screeching of bats was the only thing that was heard in the cave. Alfred, a Miraculous holder? To Jason, it seemed a bit ridiculous. What a coincidence it would be if Alfred was a superhero long before Batman was even thought of. Long before Bruce was even born. But at the same time, certain things about Alfred became much more understandable. Particularly how he was able to see through any of their lies and tell when they were hurt. That had always confused him, but it made sense now.

“What else do you know about the Butterfly Miraculous?” Bruce asked, breaking the silence.

“I know some. I know that, when used correctly, the Butterfly is supposed to buoy up those that are heartbroken, lift even higher the ones that are happy, and that it is extremely difficult to corrupt. I can’t imagine how evil Hawkmoth must be to abuse poor Nooroo in such a way.”

“Do you know how it could have ended up in Hawkmoth’s hands? Is it possible that your partner is Hawkmoth?”

Alfred sighed, pain leaking from his eyes as he set down his cup of tea. Jason didn’t really want to hear this story if it was that bad.

“I was one of the soldiers that stormed Normandy on D-Day.”

Steph gasped. Jason could only close his eyes and try not to imagine the horrors that Alfred experienced that day. It was sickening to comprehend. All those soldiers that were cut down and killed in seconds only to be stepped over by their comrades. Most of whom quickly join them in death. Jason opened his eyes, unable to keep those images away and desperate to distract himself. He saw Bruce’s face pale, Tim shaking so badly he had to put his cup of tea down, and Dick looking like he was about to cry.

Alfred paid no attention to these reactions and continued. “I was sent to a small village in France to recover, along with anyone else in my squadron that was injured. My supervising officer took my Miraculous from me since I was unable to go on missions in my state. I fought against his decision, especially since the soldier he chose was not compatible with Duusu in the slightest. He wouldn’t listen, and I haven’t seen my beloved friend since. It was less than a week later that I found the officer having to write two condolence letters. The rookie had made a fatal mistake, and both Miraculous users had been captured and killed by a Nazi organization that specialized in researching magical and mystical artifacts.”

“Indiana Jones was right!” Dick muttered eyes blown wide.

Jason snorted.

“Not the Arc of the Covenant, Master Dick, but the Miraculous. Hitler wanted an army to use to create his perfect world, and with any Miraculous in his hands, he could do it. I’m not sure what happened to them after that, but somehow, they ended up in Hawkmoth’s hands.”

“what was it like, having a kami?”  
“A kwami, Miss Stephanie, and Duusu was my dearest friend. He had the greatest advice, and was the sweetest companion one could ask for. I still miss him dearly. Every day.”

While Alfred was talking, Bruce had moved Barbara away from the computer and was pulling up the contacts for several Justice League members, including Superman, Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan, and Green Arrow.

Jason bit his lip to keep from squealing. Honestly, he had met Wonder Woman many times over the years, but that didn’t keep him from fangirling on the inside every time he saw her. What can he say? Strong women that could kick his butt are incredible and deserve to be fawned over.

Bruce pulled his cowl up, and the rest of the Batfam followed lead, with Alfred only moving out of sight of the camera with Babs. Most of the heroes Bruce had called knew their identities, but Hal Jordan was to be kept in the dark _at all costs_.

“Batman, what’s going on?” Wonder Woman asked.

“A situation in Paris has come to my attention. There is a domestic terrorist controlling innocent citizens and using them to attack the city. He goes by the name of Hawkmoth and holds a Miraculous.”

Jason eyed Hal critically as the Green Lantern started to snort. Wonder Woman looked torn between wanting to throw Jordan to Mars and wanting to know more about the Miraculous. 

“What’s so funny, Jordan?” Green Arrow cuts in, glaring at his fellow hero.

“Just—hic—You guys!!!” He burst into helpless peals of laughter again. “You are supposed to be the greatest detectives in the world, and you fell for _that_?”

Jason snarled and stomped up to the monitor. He hadn’t felt this angry in a long time, and he could hear Dick telling him to calm down before he did something he’d regret. First, he had met the sweetest girl in the universe only to find out that she was being _harassed_ and _bullied_ by people she once considered her friends. Then she tells them all about the akumas and how she had watched _millions _die while the League sat by and did nothing. She had a _cat_ break into her room and threaten to kill her friends if she didn’t come with him. And now, this a-hole was laughing, _laughing_, at them for taking a threat seriously.

“Listen up, Green Douchebag! The girl that told us about Ladybug and Hawkmoth and akumas has watched her friends and family die again and again by the hands of this terrorist. You do not get to invalidate her experiences.”

Hal Jordan quailed in the face of the fury of the most uncontrollable of Gotham’s vigilantes.

“Red Hood!” Bruce barked.

Reluctantly, Jason backed off, stomping over to stand by Dick just so his brother could keep him from being an idiot.

“Ladybug?” Wonder Woman asked. “She’s active again? Oh, I have to meet her! My mother was a holder of the Ladybug Miraculous before she went to Themyscira.”

Hal’s eyes widened comically. “Wait, are you telling me that there is such a thing as Hawkmoth and the Miraculouses.”

“That’s what she just said,” stated GA with a cocked eyebrow, clearly not amused.

Jordan let out a swear word that had Superman blushing bright red. “There have been a few videos sent to the Justice League over the past two years that told us that there was something bad happening in Paris. Most of them were from civilians, but we get pranks from civilians all the time and I just ignored them. There was one sent nearly three years ago from a girl in a red and black spotted leotard that basically called us out for not being around while the city was destroyed. I thought it was quite rude and told her to not contact the JLA again.”

“YOU WHAT?!?!”

“Easy Diana,” Jordan had his hands held up protectively.

“Wish we had some popcorn,” Dick muttered to Jason.

“Eh, we have cookies.”

Steph nodded and held the plate out to Dick, whose eyes literally lit up like a Christmas tree before grabbing three. Jason, like the _normal_ human being he is, only took one, before thanking Steph. Vindication is sweet and he was going to enjoy watching Wonder Woman kick some green butt.

“You ignored an ongoing threat AND told Ladybug to not contact us again? What is wrong with you? They need our help!”

With a battle cry that would terrify even Darkseid, Diana launched herself at the Green Lantern, who seemed to forget he had a _magic_ ring in his desperation to get away from her. Jason laughed, low and slow as he watched the idiot get demolished by a raging Amazonian.

Superman shifted uncomfortably before turning to the monitor and addressing Bruce. “I better go. I need to keep Diana doing something stupid, like breaking the Watchtower.”

A crash was heard off screen, and with a quick click, the video call was ended.

“The Justice League knows now, and we can help Ladybug,” Bruce said, once again taking off his cowl.

“Master Bruce, it would be wise if you just contacted Ladybug and asked her what she would have the JLA do. After all, if you, sir, got akumatized, the city would be in ruins, and if, heaven forbid, Superman was possessed, everyone would be destroyed.”

Bruce nodded. “That’s a good idea, Alfred. We’ll need to somehow get in contact with her. Maybe ask Marinette.”

Jason was disappointed. He had wanted to go help defeat Hawkmoth, but with his history of anger issues, him going would be a very bad idea, and the last thing he wanted was to be used by a butterfly-controlling madman. He’d hate to see what kind of damage he would cause to Paris if he was akumatized.  
“Tim, do you have the reports on Marinette’s teacher and the school she goes to?”  
“I do.” Tim picked up his mug and took a deep sip of tea. “I found so many irregularities and rather disturbing things happening at the school. Honestly, I think it would be worth the time and money for WE to begin an investigation on the way things are run at the school.

“Okay, first up is Caline Bustier. She’s only been a teacher for a few years, and like other French teachers, she moves up grades with her students. Usually, the classes are switched around, but Bustier has fought tooth and nail to keep all of her students and even gained Marc Ancel. The only student that she has lost is Chloe Bourgeois, who we know to have transferred to Gotham Academy due to bullying from her old classmates.

“As a teacher, she has never issued a detention or given out any kind of punishment besides sending them to the principal’s office. It states on her resume that she prefers to let the students learn how to govern themselves. Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been the Class President for three years, and before that Chloe held the position. She turns any kind of behavior correction over to Marinette, or just tells Marinette that she has to be the bigger person if the attacks are aimed at her. She has not gotten involved with any of the class activities, preferring to let the students organize it, primarily the Class President. Again, the Class President runs a website for the students that reminds them of any upcoming projects and to turn in their homework. Basically, anything a teacher is supposed to do besides grading, is handed to Marinette.

“When Lila Rossi got to her class, it got even worse. Instead of calling the girl out on lies about her disabilities, she completes the paperwork, forges a signature from Rossi’s mother, and lets the class do whatever they want. Rossi even admitted to being a chronic liar when Marinette was temporarily expelled for theft and cheating. The report that listed all of the evidence was ridiculously easy to investigate and disprove, which was done after Marinette was expelled. There was no way the girl could have stolen anything. Especially since the necklace was that of the Fox Miraculous. I’ve seen the Fox Hero where it in some of the videos.

“Rossi is a problem. I watched the Ladyblog’s interviews with her, and everything she says can result in lawsuits. Defamation of character. Slander. Outright lies involving Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, Prince Ali of Achoo, Chef Wang Cheng, and, of course, Ladybug. Most of these lies are easily disproven by a simple Google search. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ladyblog is shut down once the lies are revealed.

“Another thing I found out about Rossi is that she has been moved to 22 different schools before ending up at Francois-Dupont. At each of them, there were students that reported being isolated, threatened, and bullied by her. At least, the ones that survived. There are 6 suicides that have resulted from her bullying, usually within the first three months of meeting Rossi. Apparently, she had set her sights on Marinette, because the amount of hate that has been posted about her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, any social media really, is horrible. It is definitely considered cyber-bullying.”

“Can you send me the links?” asked Jason. He had some kids to murder.

“No, you won’t get those links,” Bruce cut in. Jason pouted. His Sunshine was being bullied and he wanted to do _something_ about it. “Please continue, Tim.”

“The Principal is another matter entirely. He is a pushover to the extreme, and prefers to take the easy way out. I have reports of several complaints over the years of unfair punishments, usually given to the victim. I found call logs dating back two years to Rossi’s mother, but other than that, has not attempted to verify that Rossi’s claims to disability are legitimate. Instead, the principal has catered to Rossi’s every whim, going so far as to completely change school policies for her, which includes privacy policies. There was also a time, shortly after Rossi moved to Paris, that the girl didn’t go to school at all, claiming to be traveling abroad to Achoo with her mother. Besides the occasional phone call, nothing was done to make sure that Lila was keeping up on her homework.

“Also, the rest of Paris has various alarms and emergency plans set in place for an akuma attack. However, Francois-Dupont doesn’t have any. It’s just basically every student for themselves. Considering that most of the akumas have come from that school, you’d think that they’d have some kind of procedure to get kids to safety. Nope. Not even an alarm. The only competent teacher, Mme. Mendeliev, keeps her class together and gets them to safety and always takes roll. Bustier doesn’t at all. And the principal doesn’t care.”

“This is pretty serious,” said Bruce. He scratched his jaw, deep in thought. “How can Wayne Enterprises launch an investigation in a way that doesn’t bring unwanted media coverage?”

“It won’t be easy, but considering that Bustier indicated criminal neglect of her students while at Wayne Tower, we have grounds for an investigation as concerned citizens and the hosts of this trip.”

Dick stepped forward, and Jason’s attention immediately snapped to him. He recognized the determination and rage in his brother and had a feeling that he knew what Dick was going to say.

“Bruce, something happened on patrol, tonight. I figured it would tie into the reports on Bustier.”

“Report.” A terse nod, and Bruce was back in Batman-mode instead of Bat-dad.

“Jay and I went to the hotel where Marinette’s class is staying. We wanted to check on her, but also, we wanted to have a few words with her teacher. Miss Caline Bustier has proven herself to be unable to care for the students that she is responsible for.”

_Jason always thought it was hilarious when he knocked on a citizen’s window in the middle of the night. Their shock and momentary fear always made him laugh. Bustier was no different. She actually screamed so loud that Dick later swore that she had burst his eardrums. It was a good thing that most hotel rooms were relatively soundproof._

_ “You are some of Gotham’s vigilantes, yes?” she had asked after hesitantly opening the window._

_ “We are, ma’am and we’d like to have a word with you,” said Dick._

_ “O-of course. Come in.”_

_ Not impressed with her strained politeness, Jason barely offered her a glance before taking in the rest of the room. It was neat and orderly, her clothes packed away neatly in the small closet and her shoes lined up near the door. It was worse than Damian’s, and he grew up in the League of Assassins._

_ On the small writing desk lay a letter. Jason sauntered over to it and gave it a quick read through while Bustier stammered through a greeting to Nightwing. Honestly. He’s not that impressive in real life. He likes way too many sugary things. Get a balanced diet idiot!_

_ The letter made him want to burn the whole place down._

_ **Mme. Bustier,**_

** _ I trust that you will ensure the safety and protection of our important students while in Gotham. After all, they have made a sizeable donation to the school which will cover a raise for you, once you return. Adrien Agreste is to be watched closely, as is Lila Rossi, Alya Cesaire, and Sabrina Raincomprix. Do not let harm come to them._ **

** _ Of the others, allow them to roam through the city as they wish, but make sure you listen to the four students I mentioned. Make sure they are satisfied and kept happy._ **

** _ Sincerely,_ **

** _ Headmaster Damocles_ **

_ Jason wanted to rip out this man’s tibia and beat him with it. The other students didn’t matter? In Gotham? They were allowed to roam freely and without consequence? And the liar, harasser, and enabler were all to be given free passes? What kind of school was this?_

_ “May I ask what you’re doing here?”  
Oh yeah. They were supposed to be talking to the teacher about keeping a better eye on her students._

_ Dick took point, which was probably a good idea if he wanted to avoid any violence tonight. “We’re were flagged down earlier by a concerned citizen. They said that one of your students was left behind without adult supervision.”_

_ “Oh, you must mean Marinette. She’s just fine on her own. After all, she’s very capable,” the teacher responded._

_ “Capable or not, this is no place for any child to be walking around alone!” Dick snarled. He immediately schooled his face into a blank expression again, mastering his anger._

_ What a Dick move. Jason almost snickered at his joke before remembering that this conversation was serious. He decided to step in._

_ “Ma’am, you do realize that Crime Alley is two blocks away from this hotel? More rapists, muggers, shooters, kidnappers, human-traffickers, and drug dealers live there than in any other part of the city. It has the highest crime rate, and it is extremely dangerous for anyone to walk through the alley alone. The supervillains go there to recruit their henchmen.”_

_ Bustier flapped a hand at them. “Oh, you’re exaggerating. Besides, I’ve seen Marinette tackle Kim before. She’d be able to hold her own.”_

_ Jason’s fists clenched, and his hands itched to reach for his gun. He wouldn’t even kill the woman, just a warning shot. But a quick glance from Dick and he backed off, taking out a small phone and snapping a picture of the letter. It would be valuable evidence, and since the lady left it out on her desk and she invited them in, it would be admissible evidence in court._

_ “Listen, if you want to go home with all of your students accounted for, you need to keep better track of them. They could get killed. A villain isn’t going to see a bunch of foreign children and decide to attack somewhere else. They’re going to see them as valuable hostages. And you will be leaving Gotham with fewer kids than you came with,” Nightwing growled, his voice dangerously low and threatening._

_ “You’re threatening us!” the teacher cried with alarm, darting to her phone on the side table. Jason beat her to it, holding it high above her head._

_ “Nuh-uh. We’re not threatening you; we’re warning you. And if you decided to talk to the police, they’re going to come to us to clarify and we’ll tell them everything we know, which includes everything that your students will tell us.”_

_ The woman paled a little._

_ “Marinette is just causing trouble in the class. She needs to set a better example, so that all the tension will go away. She’s the leader, and if she accepts Lila, everyone else will follow.”_

_ Dick actually snarled. Jason was so proud. “That is toxic behavior that you’re teaching the class. That girl is going to burn out and, quite possibly, die before she’s thirty, and it will be your fault for blaming her for any issues in your classroom. It is not the student’s responsibility to take control of a classroom, but the teacher’s. Yours.”_

_ With a sharp turn, Dick strode to the window. “Come on, Red, let’s get out of here. She’s not worth our time.”_

_ Red Hood tossed the phone onto the hotel mattress before following his brother out into the night, where a crash and loud voices coming from three rooms down distracted them. Wait. Marinette’s room._

Once Dick finished telling them about their conversation with the teacher and the confrontation with Adrien/Chat Noir, the family was deathly silent.

“Master Bruce, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go skin a cat.”

“I’ll help,” Stephanie spat, pulling on her cowl and grabbing one of Damian’s spare katanas. “I may not know how to use this thing, but I’ll learn. Fast. No one messes with Mari-bear.”

Tim was fuming in the corner, his mug shattered in his fist, while drops of blood sprinkled down from his hand. Jason swore he had never seen such a fiery anger in the boy. Not even directed towards Ra’s Al Ghul.

Jason, however, had already felt this anger and knew that this was not what Marinette needed. She needed peace. She needed stability. She needed . . . Chloe.

“Babs, pull up the schedule for the French class. I want to know what they plan on doing here in Gotham.”

That stopped many of his family members in shock. They had honestly believed that he would be the first to crack and shoot the cat, and boy, was he tempted. But he was also a big brother. He knew that Marinette would feel guilty over anything bad that happened to the stupid cat, and he knew that if he was killed, she would be haunted by it for the rest of her life. Marinette was far too good for this world.

Once the schedule was pulled up so they could all see, Jason allowed himself one, crazy grin. _Perfect_. A chance for one of the batfamily to stick around Marinette, and she would get to see Chloe again.

They were going to Gotham Academy in the morning. Bruce’s eyes widened and he immediately grabbed his phone and typed in a number, taking a few steps away from the others to place a call.

“So, do you think Damian will like Marinette?” asked Steph.

“He better,” growled Jason. “But right now, I’m just glad that she’ll have both Chloe and Damian near her tomorrow. And if the cat or the liar pull anything, they’ll both be there to put them in their places. We know that Chloe doesn’t let anyone control her, and I’d like to see anyone besides Dick get Damian to back down from a fight. And Jon. Y’know. Super-strength.”

Barbara went back to searching the Ladyblog for more information on akumas and anything about Hawkmoth. She clicked on an interview that was done with Ladybug. The video was French, but Jason noticed something immediately.

“Barbara, pull up a picture of Marinette!” he almost shouted, startling the whole room.

She did, picking one that was advertising her parents’ bakery.

“Okay, place it next to the picture of Ladybug.”

The two pictures were displayed side by side, just as Bruce came back from his call. Jason heard the platter of cookies fall to the ground, the sound reverberating through the cave. But he didn’t care.

All he cared about was the girl in both pictures. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Ladybug. Literally, the most amazing girl to ever walk the earth. And she had been dealing with the world on her shoulders since she was thirteen. She had been responsible for saving Paris, bringing back the millions that Hawkmoth killed, all while dealing with a cat that couldn’t accept no for an answer. Jason was beyond furious. He had never wanted to kill so badly, and that included the Joker. Marinette deserved more than being praised for being a hero, while her civilian self was beaten and trodden down.

“She’s Ladybug,” Dick breathed out.

“The poor girl,” gasped Babs, while Steph reached out to her pseudo-sister and held her hand. “Everything she’s gone through.”

“I knew it,” whispered Tim, though he looked just as shocked as the rest of them. And Bruce. Well, the old man had a heart hidden behind the cold exterior, but you could tell that he was concerned. His expression was hard and grim, and he almost looked like he was planning on going against his no-killing rule, just once.

Of them all, Alfred was the only one of them that was unfazed. Instead, he seemed to have known about this.

“What gives, Alfred? Did you already know?” asked Jason, wincing at the accusatory tone in his voice but didn’t take back his question. He needed to know.

“I figured it out this evening, during dinner. I thought I saw a kwami paw, and when she was talking about Ladybug, I put the clues together. She needs our help, Master Bruce. We have to give it to her in whatever way we can, in whatever way she’ll let us.”

“And we will, Alfred. She’s one of us now.”

Bonus:

So, does anyone actually know who this #sunshineofgotham is? Maybe we can use her as a hostage?

@Riddlemethis NO! You will not touch her. If she brings sunshine, then we need to keep her in Gotham, not scare her away. My plants need sunlight to grow. Do you know how much the plants have thrived since she got here?

@poison_ivy Oh relax, babe. We’re not gonna hurt her. Maybe welcome her. Maybe I’ll become Auntie Harley? Especially if Dick likes her.

@Riddlemethis Aren’t you supposed to be the one that knows everything? Why don’t you know who #sunshineingotham is?

@JonathanCrane SHUT UP JON! ONE TIME, I SAID THAT! CAN’T YOU JUST LET IT GO?!?!

@Riddlemethis @JonathanCrane @poison_ivy @HarleyHarHar Don’t ruin this for us! The VKs want to organize something special for her, and you’ll just get in the way!

@PuzzlerQ No, you’re grounded, young man. After the stunt you pulled with Manny and Allan, you’re not allowed to get into any other shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These tags are some of the my favorites that I've ever written. Particularly Harley's url. Thought that was clever.


	10. Damian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry it's taken me so long to update. I ran out of pre-written chapters and I've been struggling with this one. But, it is a lot longer than the others, so, have fun.

Of all things in the world, Damian loathed getting woken up abruptly. It always put him on edge for the rest of the day. He was an early-riser, unlike some (cough-Drake-cough), and preferred to wake up naturally. Jon jumping on the bed was not naturally.

“Come on, Dami. We’re going to be late. Chloe’s already in the shower, and if you don’t get up now, you’ll miss breakfast.”

Why did it feel like a hammer had hit him over the head?

“Can you _please_ shut up!” he snapped at his best friend as he sat up. The pounding got worse, and he rubbed his temples, hoping the pressure would ease the pain. Nope. He finally looked up to see Jon grinning like a fool.

“What’s got you so excited?” Damian grumbled. It was a good thing that his friends were used to his surly attitude or Jon would probably be crying at this point. Damian was _not_ nice when he was woken up.

“The French class is coming today!!!”

“What French class?”  
“Honestly, Dami, don’t you pay any attention in class.”

“Not if I can help it. I don’t need to go to school. I learned everything that they’re teaching years ago.”

“Well, you should, because a class from France is checking out our school. They’re staying in Gotham for a month and will join us in class three days every week, to get an idea of what school is like in America. They’re coming today!”

“And why should I care?”

Jon gave him the most unimpressed look ever. “Dude, this is Chlo’s class from France that’s coming. She doesn’t know yet, ‘cause this is the class that bullied her out of France, but it also has her best friend in it.”

Damian groaned. He did not want to deal with them today. “How mad do you think Mr. Johnson will be if I bring a katana to school?”

With a snicker, Jon ruffled Damian’s bedhead. “Come on. You need to get up and eat breakfast. You know Audrey is a stickler about proper nutrition. She’ll probably force-feed you.”

A roll of the eyes was all it took to get Jon to snicker and leave the poor boy alone. Damian rolled out of bed and stretched. It was a gloomy day, with dark clouds draping over the tops of the skyscrapers, a stiff breeze grabbing umbrellas and throwing them high in the sky. The people of Gotham scurried through the streets, not looking at anyone or stopping and socializing as they often did any other day. Instead, they were eager to find the nearest coffee shop or get to their jobs as quickly as possible.

Damian loved these kinds of days. It was filled with a peace that he rarely felt. Hot tea, good books, fireplaces, and Alfred’s homemade chocolate chip cookies, fresh from the oven and dripping with chocolate gooeyness. These were the days where Jason read Shakespeare in the study, Tim came out to play chess with Bruce, Dick napped in the chair closest to the fireplace and the girls spread across the floor, painting their nails. Calm. Not frenzied. Not like a normal day.

A ding from his phone, caused Damian to turn to the nightstand. He opened his notifications and raised his eyebrow. It only rose higher and higher the more he read.

“What’s up, Dam?”

Chloe was standing in the doorway, towel-drying her hair while she attempted to put her combat boots on.

“I see you’ve brought out the spring colors.”

It was a running joke between the three of them. For Jon, spring colors were blacks and greys, since it was so rare for him to wear anything besides blue or red. For Damian, it was literally any color besides green and black, and his Robin uniform did not count, according to Chloe. (That was an awkward day. Chloe had arrived at the Manor because it was an off day, and no one realized it, so Damian came walking in in full gear sans mask. Rather than freak out, Chloe just shook her head and muttered, “Of course. The universe is cursing me with hero friends.) For Chloe, though, her spring color was red. Anything red. She had so few items that it was rare for her to be seen wearing them. As far as Damian could tell, the color reminded her of her best friend in France, though, for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. Any picture of Marinette that Chloe shared, showed the girl wearing pink, not red.

“And I see you’ve decided to have a pajama day,” she shot back. “But you’re deflecting. What’s up?”

“Just my brothers being idiots again. I’m gone for 24 hours, and they’ve decided to adopt a new sister. The only mention is #sunshineofgotham. Twitter is blowing up, and even the villains have declared her off-limits, though I don’t know why. Ivy is particularly adamant that this Sunshine stays in Gotham to help with her plants, or some such nonsense.”

Chloe froze. “Plants?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Yes. It says that the plants are thriving since she got here.”

“Damian,” she gasped, her eyes shining brightly. “Oh, I think I know who she is!”

“Wait, what?”

Jon appeared in the doorway, hovering slightly since it was faster to fly than to walk. Whatever. “Guys, you need to finish getting ready. Audrey says the car is leaving in fifteen minutes with or without us. And I don’t wanna see if she’ll follow through with her threat.”

“Well, if I’m going to get ready, then it would be helpful if you got out so I could change,” Damian said with a growl. He shooed his friends away and pulled out a grey turtleneck and black jeans. He really hoped Freeze wasn’t behind this weather, because he’d actually like to enjoy a stormy day without fear of hypothermia. It was June. Hypothermia shouldn’t be a concern in the middle of summer, but in Gotham, everything was a concern.

Fifteen minutes later, Damian was dashing out of the lobby doors of the penthouse Chloe and her mom were staying in. A piece of toast was jammed into his mouth, and he was careful to not let any of the jam drip onto his clothes.

“He’s here! Come on, I’m excited for the day to start.”

With a huff, Damian got into the car beside his bouncing best friend and his sullen bee. Honestly, the number of puns she makes about bees is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Aaannnd now, he was spending _way_ too much time with her.

“Aren’t you excited, Chloe? That exchange class is coming today.”

Chloe shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I hope they’re alright and aren’t completely awful, but the likelihood of that happening is the same as Joker becoming sane and repentant.”

“Be nice, Chlo. You never know. Maybe you’ll make a new friend,” Jon beamed.

Damian felt the urge to smother his friend in a pillow. Just to get him to shut up for a minute. This day was not going to be getting any better if he had Chloe’s old class to deal with. He needed caffeine. Stupid Drake and his tea. It was all his fault. No, for today, he was going to stick to Chloe’s side and destroy anyone who tried to talk to her, because no one from her class was redeemable.

“Alright, kids, behave today. Bruce sent me a text this morning and you’re to go straight home after school, today. Chloe, you have the rest of the day off, so I want you to spend it with your friends.” And with that, Audrey dropped them off in the front of the school and drove away for her day of destroying fashion disasters.

Chloe looked around the schoolgrounds, eyes peeled for her old class, Damian suspects. After all, Jon is ridiculously obvious, even when he was being subtle.

“Chloe is suspicious,” Jon mouthed at Damian, eyes wide in horror.

Damian rolled his eyes. Point made. Honestly, how he ever became friends with this idiot is beyond him. He’s fairly sure Bruce forced him into it, or Dick drugged him. Maybe both. Either way, he ignored Jon’s antics in favor of scanning the surroundings, just so he could get a heads-up about the enemy.

“Chill Bird-Boy,” Chloe said, noticing his hypervigilance. You really couldn’t get anything past her. She looked around to make sure that Jon was not paying attention to them, and muttered, “I know exactly who is coming today. I’m just planning on kidnapping Mari and ignoring everyone else.”

“Chloe, what if she’s joined Rossi and Cesaire? What if she’s become an enabler?” Damian hated when his friends were hurt, and he was worried about meeting this Marinette person. What if she had changed and didn’t want to have anything to do with Chloe? It had taken him and Jon far too long to heal her to the point where she was friendly with people outside of their immediate circle. The last thing they needed was for a former classmate to ruin their hard work.

“You do realize that I’ve been keeping in contact with her, right? She’s still my best friend, and she’s still my Everyday Ladybug, even if she’s not the class’s.”

Damian merely grunted. He would reserve judgement for when he actually met the girl. But he would remain skeptical until she could prove her worth to him.

“Damian! Chloe!” Miss Ferguson, the school principal, came running up to the two of them, tugging Jon along behind her. “I’m so glad I found you two. Since Chloe and Jon are co-class presidents, I need you to be there to welcome the French class. Damian, your father specifically requested that you accompany them. I understand he has some concerns about the teacher and the class, especially since they’re your old class, Chloe. Something about keeping him in the loop.”

Perfect. Yet another reason for this day to be an absolute disaster from the beginning. “Of course, Miss Ferguson,” he said politely. “I was planning on keeping an eye on them anyway.”

Jon was pouting. “I wanted to keep it a secret,” he murmured.

Chloe flipped her ponytail, right into Damian’s face, and scoffed, “Jon, you’re a sweetheart, but you are not subtle. As soon as I heard that there was a French class coming, I knew it was going to be mine. Besides, my best friend is in that class. Did you really think that she wouldn’t tell me that she was coming today?”

The poor boy deflated actually pouted at the two of them before his eyes drifted to something behind them. Damian turned to look and saw one of the horrible yellow school buses pulling into the parking lot. There were students pressed up against the windows, eager to get a good look at the school. Damian recognized them from his research on the class. He spotted the glasses-girl, hanging out the window with her phone out. No doubt videoing.

“They’re here,” said Miss Ferguson. “Come on, let’s go greet them.”

Damian and Chloe did not want to greet them. Chloe because she didn’t want to interact with her old class, and Damian for the same reason, though his was based on how annoying they would doubtlessly be.

But, as Jon couldn’t speak any French, despite being in the class for two years, he would need help from his two friends. With a groan, Damian gently pushed Chloe a little closer to where the bus had screeched to a stop.

“Bonjour, Mademoiselle Ferguson,” the teacher with bright eyes and brighter hair said. Cheerfully. It was disgusting.

“Welcome to Gotham Academy, Miss Bustier. We’re glad to have you.”

“Tt.” Damian wasn’t, that’s for sure.

“We’re glad to be here. We’ve heard great things about your school and look forward to interacting with your students.”

“Well, I have three of them with me. Chloe and Jon are the co-presidents for their grade, and this is their friend, Damian.”

“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Miss Bustier smiled sweetly. “And it is wonderful to see you again, Chloe. We’ve missed you.”

“HEY!! Look, it’s Chloe Brat-geios!” yelled one of the students from the bus window, presumably the redhead with glasses.

He felt Chloe stiffen next to him, and he glanced over at her. Her eyes had taken on a glazed look, and she looked close to breaking down. He bumped his shoulder against hers, and she shot him a small, grateful smile. Chloe knew that he was there for her.

The principal, who happened to speak fluent French, hence her eagerness for the visiting French class, glared at the girl. “Miss, I should inform you, that bullying is not tolerated at Gotham Academy, and any instances of bullying shall be immediately punished. This is your first warning.” Her glare softened and she motioned to the students. “Why don’t you come out of the bus and we’ll get started on the tour.”

One by one, the students clambered down the filthy steps. Some gazed at the school in awe, some whispered amongst themselves, their giggles malicious, while the rest shot glares at Chloe. One of the girls, a petite blonde, giggled shyly at Jon, who immediately became flustered. Damian smirked. It didn’t matter who it was, if someone flirted with Jon Clark, he immediately blushed so brightly, he was sure the red beam could be seen in Metropolis.

One of the last girls got out of the bus, and honestly, Damian was not impressed. First, her color coordination needed work (no one looked good in that shade of orange), and her hairstyle was ridiculous. It was Gotham. You needed to be practical, because who knew when a supervillain would show up and attempt to use you as a hostage. But what unsettled Damian the most was the cold, calculating look in her eyes. She assessed her classmates, even as she started speaking rapidly about how Gotham Academy had begged her to come to their school, but she had turned it down in favor of a humanitarian project in the Congo.

“Miss Bustier,” Chloe suddenly called, causing everyone’s attention to turn their way. “Where’s Marinette?”

Bustier frowned as she did a quick scan of her students. “I don’t know, Chloe. I was sure that she had gotten on the bus this morning,” the woman said with a shrug. Miss Ferguson frowned and marched towards the bus.

“Oh, don’t bother Miss,” said the orange girl. “She tripped and is picking up her things. I’m sure she’ll be out in a moment.”  
“You didn’t stop to help her?” Jon asked, genuinely surprised. Despite the horror stories Chloe had told them about her old classmates, he was too naïve to really believe that someone would be able to be so cruel. He jogged to the bus, getting there just before Miss Ferguson and jumped up the steps quickly. A minute later, Jon came back out, carrying a plastic bag and offering the girl his hand to help her down the steps.

Said girl was tottering under half a dozen lunchboxes and bags, as well as a few thermoses. With a quick glance at the other students, he noticed that several were not carrying backpacks, and, in fact, had nothing burdening them at all.

“Lila, Alya, Sabrina, Adrien, Ivan, Nathanial. You guys forgot your stuff on the bus. It won’t be coming back until this afternoon,” she gasped out.

Chloe rushed forward, with Damian following behind. They were too slow, because, despite Jon’s steadying hand, the girl overbalanced and tottered wildly, hand flying out and dropping the bags she had been carrying. Damian was there in a flash, one hand steading Jon, while the other wrapped around the girl’s waist, holding her close and keeping her from crashing to the ground with the bags. After a little more wobbling, the girl steadied herself, and Damian felt confident enough to let her go. He took a step back and immediately noticed how bright red her face was.

“Sorry, sorry,” she muttered and hurried to pick up everything she dropped.

“Really girl? You could have broken Lila’s phone! You know she needs to have it with her at all times in case Prince Ali calls.”

“Back off, Cesaire. It’s not like she did it on purpose,” Chloe snapped before nudging Damian to the side and stopping her friend from picking up the bags. “Mari-bug!!!” she cried, throwing her arms around the girl, nearly sending her to the ground again. “I’ve missed you soooo much!”

“Oh my gosh, Queenie!!! I’ve missed you!! I can’t wait to tell you all about my new blog!”

“Ahem,” coughed the principal. Chloe separated from the girl, with a sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry Mademoiselle.”

With one final count of the students and the bags redistributed to their proper owners, Damian was finally on his way inside. Jon was next to him, and he was practically glowing with excitement.

“Hi, I’m Jon. You must be Marinette. Chlo has told us sooo much about you.”

The girl on his other side beamed just as brightly, if not more so, and said, “Chloe has told me so much about you, too. And you must be Damian. It’s really nice to meet you.”

Damian didn’t really agree, since he hated meeting new people, _but_ Alfred would be disappointed if he was rude. “It’s nice to meet you as well.”

If possible, her smile got brighter. This was going to be annoying. He doubted that Chloe would stray far from the girl for the rest of the month while she was in Gotham which meant that he was going to be forced to spend most of his free time in her company. Sometimes, he really hated his friends.

A few more students hesitated on the periphery of their group. Chloe eyed them cautiously, which instantly put Damian on his guard. Marinette, however, was more open.

“Hey guys. You okay?”

The one with black hair and painted fingernails shuffled his feet. “Um, we wanted to apologize to you, Chloe. I know we weren’t participating in the bullying, but we weren’t ever nice to you and we weren’t as vocal as we should have been when Alya, Lila, and Sabrina were saying all those horrible things.”

Chloe’s posture seemed to relax a little, but Damian refused to let down his guard around these people. “Thank you, Marc. I really wish you had done something before it got too bad, but I hope you’re at least standing up for Marinette, now.”

The tiny girl with pink hair nodded rather violently. “We are. In fact, we want to plan to expose Lila while we’re here in Gotham so Hawkmoth can’t akumatized her. Do you two want to join us in the planning?” The girl was focusing on Marinette and Chloe, but Damian noticed the side-eye that was directed towards Jon and himself. He refused to get into their drama.

“I’ve heard that Damian Wayne goes to Gotham Academy. Do you think you’ll get to see your boyfriend?”  
Damian immediately tuned into the conversation happening just ahead of them. The glasses girl was talking to the orange girl, who had half of the class gathered around her, listening intently. Her body posture was easily designed to draw people in, just so she could manipulate them. After his mother, it was pathetically easy to spot manipulators, and this girl was one. Not even a good one.

“He’s actually on a business trip with Bruce right now. I’m not sure when he’s going to get back. I would have loved to see my Dami-bear again, but—“ the girl sighed deeply.

“Maybe he’ll come home early,” said the petite blonde one in a squeaky voice that already made him want to claw his ears off.

“I doubt it. The business trip is supposed to last for two months, so he won’t be back until the end of July.”

Beside him, Marinette let out a groan. “I am so ready to take her down. Please, I will help you with anything you need. I’ll even call Uncle J to help if you need me too.”

Damian turned to the girl. “Are they really that stupid?”

“Yep. I haven’t figured out a way to expose her without either name-dropping every single person I know or her figuring out a way to lie her way out of the situation. It’s so frustrating. If I do anything, she twists it to look like I’ve been the one bullying her.”

Oh boy. They really were that stupid. “I’m sorry to say, but I believe your classmates are beyond help at this point. You should probably just cut your losses.”

“Damian!” Jon flicked his shoulder, which from him, was the equivalent of a rough punch. Unfortunately, Damian couldn’t do more than glare at his “supposed” best friend. He wasn’t even allowed to flinch because it could reveal too much.

“Don’t do that again,” he hissed warningly.

Jon shrugged before turning his attention back to Marinette and her friends who were busy listing all the people that could potentially help bring this lying manipulator down. “So, how are we going to do this?” he asked.

Marinette tapped her chin thoughtfully. Chloe was getting a wicked grin on her face, and Damian only hoped that this girl wasn’t as sweet and innocent as she seemed. “I think the biggest lie we can out right now is Lila dating Damian Wayne. After all, you’re him, right?”  
That was a surprise. Normally, people that knew him as Damian Wayne either doted on him immediately, which resulted in them being shoved away, or they already knew to not mess with him and avoided him like the plague. Marinette was neither. She just calmly acknowledged that he was a Wayne, and that was that. He wasn’t even sure how she figured it out.

“And exactly how did you know I was a Wayne?” he asked. He figured interrogation was the best way to gain information.

“Well, for one, Jason is in the car down the street trying to pretend that he’s reading a newspaper instead of watching us. And Dick is peeking out the window over there. I assume it’s the office?”

Chloe nodded. “Yep, that’s Dick. And I think Bruce is up there too. Oh, I hope that means we’re going to get some quality entertainment today.”

“When did you meet my brothers?”

“Oh, I bumped into Jason yesterday after I was left at the hotel.” Marinette seemed very happy for someone whose classmates left her. She must be naïve and ridiculous. He noticed, however, that the classmates that had joined their group all flinched at the reminder. At least they showed some remorse. Annoying or not, Marinette should not have been left alone in Gotham. It was far too dangerous.

“He invited me to dinner with your family and we discovered that the Alfred that is your butler, is also the Alfred that is my godfather. I met Dick and Tim at Wayne Enterprises and I met everyone else at dinner.” Marinette waved up to Dick, and Damian had to hide a snigger when his brother’s face turned bright red and he abruptly turned away.

“I am sorry for your sanity, then. My brothers are obnoxious and annoying.”

“Oh, no. They were extremely sweet and they even helped me calm down after a panic attack. They also told Nightwing and Red Hood about me being left behind, and they talked to my teacher about it. I hope that whatever they said works, because I don’t want a repeat of yesterday.”

The pink haired girl spoke up. “We won’t let her, Mari. She’s not going to leave you behind if we have any say about it.”

“It’s not going to happen again,” piped up the kid with glasses and a cap.

Marinette beamed brightly, and Damian had to resist the urge to shield his eyes. This was getting ridiculous. Is this what his brothers meant by “Sunshine in Gotham”? If so, he really hoped he wouldn’t have to see her very often. His eyes were hurting.

“Damian, Jon, Chloe,” Miss Ferguson said, capturing the three teens’ attention. “Miss Bustier’s class has a short meeting right now, and then they need to be given a tour of the school. They will be split up into different classes, so I have a couple other presidents that will be helping out with the tour. We will divide the class after the meeting, so don’t worry about that now.”

“What about me, Miss Ferguson?” asked Damian. “I am not a president or a co-president. Why do you want me to help give them a tour of the school?”  
“First, you speak French fluently, so you be able to help translate as the need arises. Second, I understand that there is a history of bullying in the class, and I’m hoping that your presence will discourage them from continuing said bullying.”

She glanced at Chloe, who nodded in gratitude. Well, if it was for Chloe, he would put up with the Sunshine girl and her friends. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to hurt anyone’s feelings or get physical. His father would be so disappointed. On the other hand, Todd would take him out to lunch if he did get into a fight, so either way would result in a favorable scenario.

They entered a classroom and all the students went to sit down at the various tables. He noticed that the class was basically split down the middle, with one half surrounding the orange girl, and the other half surrounding Marinette. Chloe had claimed a seat right next to her best friend, with Jon on the other side of the girl. Damian just rolled his eyes and sat beside the cap guy. He seemed the most tolerable of the group.

“Nino,” he said softly. “I’m Nino. I really hope you can help Mari. Everything we’ve tried has resulted in Marinette getting even more heat from Lila. She needs help.”

“I’ll be honest, Nino. I don’t like you. I don’t like your class. I don’t even like this Marinette girl. And she’s the most tolerable of all of you. The point is, you bullied Chloe away from her home in France. It took months before Jon and I were able to get her out of her shell and to actually enjoy her life. I will not be forgetting that any time soon.”

The boy wilted. “You’re right. I wish I had known about the bullying, but I haven’t spent any time with Lila’s groupies since she got Alya to break up with me. And Alix, Kim, Max, and Marc have been against her for a lot longer than that. Alix got pictures of what Alya did to Chloe’s locker and took them to the principal, but he just brushed it aside. The point is,” he said, echoing Damian’s words, “we all hate Lila. We hate what she did to Chloe. We hate what she is currently doing to Marinette. If you don’t like us, then that’s fine. But those girls don’t deserve what they have been put through. If you can help them, please do it.”

Well, the kid had guts. Not many people would have dared to talk to Damian with his patented “I will kill you slowly” glare staring them in the face. And the boy seemed genuinely sorry about Chloe’s treatment. Maybe they weren’t all bad. Without saying anything else, Damian turned back to the front just in time for Miss Ferguson to start speaking to the assembled students.

“Welcome to Gotham Academy. We are very glad to have you visiting with us for the few short weeks we have until our summer vacation. I have a few things that we need to go over, but first . . . Miss Bustier, would you please go outside? There’s someone that would like to speak to you.”

The class looked at each other confused, but Damian had a hunch that he knew who was planning on speaking to the teacher. Marinette’s wary expression confirmed his suspicions. Let’s hope that that was all Dick and Father had come to do.

Once the teacher left and the door was again closed, Miss Ferguson continued, “I want to first emphasize that this school has a Zero Toleration policy. Bullying of any kind will be immediately punished, and if we catch you three times, you will not be welcomed back at Gotham Academy.” Students, specifically on the liar’s side, started to complain, but Miss Ferguson silenced them all with a single glare. “Bullying includes name-calling, degradation of character, any kind of slander, whispers behind the back, forcing one student to take care of your things, and of course, any aspect of physical bullying. We care about all of our students, and if any of you are caught, which all of our students will come to us if they see bullying, you will be reprimanded and given a strike.”

“But what about Chloe?” shouted the glasses girl. “She’s the biggest bully I know besides Marinette! She had to have intimidated the other kids into letting her be class president.”

“Miss Cesaire, I assure you that Chloe is the kindest girl we have in this school. She’s always the first person to call out any kind of bullying, she’s friends with just about everybody, and she’s made an effort to reach out and befriend our shyest students. This is your second warning. Do something like this again, and you will get a strike. If you are having problems with another student, sort it out with a mediator, or come to an adult. Do not attack them like this.”

The class murmured among each other, and Damian watched as Marinette turned her brilliant smile on Chloe. The girl blushed and whispered something, and the girl threw her arms around his friend. “I’m so proud of you,” he heard Marinette say to Chloe. Chloe’s face, what was visible of it, was glowing a brilliant red, and Damian smirked. It wasn’t often that Chloe allowed herself to reveal emotions. Just because she was the kindest girl he knew, didn’t mean she didn’t have walls.

“Now, we will be welcoming you with a Dodgeball Tournament later on today, so be prepared for that. It is not mandatory for you to play, but we strongly encourage it, since it will allow you to get to know our students here at Gotham Academy. The rules will be explained just before the games begin, so for now, we will just let our guest speaker talk with you, and you will go on your tour.”

Guest speaker. Of course. And the instant Miss Ferguson opened the door, Damian laid his head down on his desk, praying to whatever god was out there to just smite him now and relieve him of the torment that is his family. Because, Dick Grayson immediately bounced into the room, followed by Bruce Wayne himself.

“Wait, you’re the tour guide from yesterday,” said the annoying pink girl. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I think Bruce would be the better person to answer that question,” Dick easily deflected. “Hey Mari. Hope you’re well.” He wandered over to the wall and leaned up against it casually. “Hey Jon, Chlo. How have you been?”  
“Pretty good, thanks,” Jon beamed, while Chloe just smiled at his older brother.

_Please don’t notice me, please don’t notice me, please don’t notice me._

For the first time in his life, Grayson showed restraint, because he only sent a wink in Damian’s direction before turning his attention to Bruce.

“On behalf of Wayne Enterprises, I would like to formally welcome you to Gotham. I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you yesterday when you toured Wayne Tower, but I figured I’d make it up to you. I am Bruce Wayne, current co-CEO with my son Tim, whom I believe you all met yesterday in the cafeteria. This is my son, Richard Grayson, and you met Jason Todd, my second oldest yesterday as well.”

Some of the students paled at the introductions, particularly the liar, but she was quick to readjust her facial features into something pleasant. With a glance at Dick, he confirmed that his brother had seen the brief change as well.

“Now, I have two announcements to make. The first is some, quite frankly, alarming business that I must address. My sons informed me of the incidents involving one Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng that happened yesterday, and I am greatly concerned for the welfare of her and the rest of her classmates. I contacted the French government this morning, and a full investigation is being launched against your principal and your teacher. She is being sent back to France as we speak.”

The class erupted into cries of shock and disbelief. The petite pink girl was sobbing into the desk, the liar was desperately trying to regain control, and the others were quite alarmed. The other half of the class, however, was a different story. They accepted the announcement with sighs of relief and relaxed postures. Damian raised an eyebrow at this and shared a look with Grayson. It appeared as though this class had been suffering for a long time under this teacher’s rule. This was a well-needed intervention.

“Silence!” Bruce finally called, channeling a tiny bit of Batman into his voice, causing all of the students to stop talking immediately. “Because I am funding this trip to Gotham, I am your temporary guardian for this trip. However, I am unable to spend every minute with you all. Therefore, I am awarding my son Richard Grayson guardianship. If you have any troubles, please consult him. He will be staying in your teacher’s old room until your government finds a suitable replacement. As they are going through every teacher’s records, it may be a couple weeks before another guardian will come.”

“But what about Miss Bustier?” asked the girl with dreadlocks.

“She is facing several heavy charges. Apparently, when the police looked through her hotel room, she had a letter that held incriminating evidence against both her and the principal. If you have any further questions regarding your old teacher, you may direct them towards Richard.

“Now, the second announcement I have is much more pleasant. At the end of this month is the Wayne Charity Gala, and you will all be invited to attend. As you know, this is a valuable opportunity for you, as well as a chance to make connections to some of the biggest names in government, media, and entertainment. I hope you all brought formal wear, as was stated in your packing lists, but if not, there will be a day where you will visit some of the fashion boutiques in Gotham to get your gowns or tuxes.”

Damian groaned. He knew that meant the entire Wayne family was going to have to deal with the Gala. He hated formal events. The women were so shallow, and hung on Father’s arms like leeches, seeking to get a little more money or fame by sticking close to him. One could only hope that there wouldn’t be any scandal surrounding their family this year. Last year, Jason showed up halfway through and announced to the world that he wasn’t dead. The media hadn’t died down for several months, and it took a while before they stopped asking for an interview. At least Father had a strict no photography ban on his children and the people of Gotham respected that. They knew the Waynes deserved a little privacy, especially with the amount of trauma they all face. Joker particularly liked to kidnap Wayne children as hostages.

His thoughts were interrupted by a squeal. A genuine squeal. Marinette was literally bouncing in her seat while Chloe laughed at her friend and Jon looked bemused. Beside him, Nino groaned, and his head hit the desk. Hard.

“We’re not going to see Mari for the rest of the trip. Now she has to design and make a brand-new gown for herself, and if she ever sees what Alix brought for the formal wear, she’s gonna make one for her, too. I just hope I can escape the creative frenzy of designer Marinette.”

A sharp whistle cut through all the babble, and Miss Ferguson glared them all into silence. “I’m glad that you’re all very excited for this opportunity, but now it’s time for the tour. I’m going to split your class into two, with one half being in the class with Chloe and Jon, and the other being with Metal, here.”

His classmate, who had been standing close to Dick, blew out a bubble from her gum and popped it. With a twitch of her head, she moved the platinum bangs out of her eyes, and addressed the class.

“Hey guys. I’m Metal and I’m the other class president.”

The pink girl waved brightly, but other than that, the rest of that half just nodded at the girl.

“I’m Alix. Your hair is wicked by the way. How’d you get it to shimmer like silver?” Pink-haired girl is named Alix. Good to know.

Metal gave a small smile and blew another bubble. “Thanks Pinkie. If you want, I can give you my stylist’s number. She’s amazing at putting in metallic highlights. I swear, it’s like the woman is magic or something.”  
Alix nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve been thinking of getting rid of this color. It’s been like that for far too long, but I haven’t found anything I like better, yet.”

“I’ll get you hooked up.”  
A few minutes later, and Metal was leading a group of kids with Alix, Max, Adrien, Lila, Rose, and Alya off towards the gym. Chloe and Jon were leading Marinette, Nino, Kim, Mylene, Marc, and Ivan towards the main office. Damian stayed behind a moment to speak to his father and brother.

“What are you doing?” he hissed.

“Righting a wrong. Or several wrongs by the looks of it,” answered Dick. “Besides, Bruce has always planned on bringing the kids to the Gala.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to be a disaster,” Damian scoffed. “At least make sure that someone is keeping an eye on them at all times while they’re at the Gala. I don’t trust that Lila girl as far as Superman could throw her.”

“Yeah, me neither Baby Bat. But for now, let’s just make sure that the class feels welcome. And I’m gonna be around them for a while, so I’ll work on gathering intel on what’s been going on in that class. There’s something off about that Lila girl, and I don’t mean the lying and manipulating.”

Damian nodded. He felt the same way. Lila was an enemy, but none of them knew what she was planning or what she was capable of. It was unnerving for the family that prided themselves on being the best detectives and vigilantes for Gotham.

* * * * * *

It was during lunch that Marinette pulled a stunt that was both sweet and ridiculously stupid. They were gathered in the cafeteria, Lila’s groupies by her, and Marinette surrounded by her own friends. Metal had joined them, loudly complaining about Lila’s group and their constant need to interrupt and tell tall tales. It was annoying for the president, and she looked close to snapping. That was, until Alix pulled her into a conversation about skating. Apparently, both had a love of dangerous sports, and wanted to compete with each other while Alix was in Gotham.

Marinette was eagerly discussing designs with Chloe, showing the girl a sketchbook and asking for her opinion on each piece. After a thorough explanation of the positioning of crystals in the skirt of a dress, she stretched and looked around the cafeteria. Damian noticed the moment the girl froze, her eyes turning sad.

“Chloe?” she asked, her voice quiet and broken. Damian decided he didn’t like hearing the Sunshine girl sound so lost. As unlikely as it was, he preferred the overly bright tone she had been using for most of the day.

“Are you okay, Mari-bug?” Chloe instantly turned her full attention on her best friend, recognizing that broken tone.

“Why is that kid sitting by himself,” she pointed.

Damian didn’t have to turn to look. He knew exactly who Marinette was talking about. Chloe had tried again and again to make friends with Allan Crane, but had made no progress in any way. Damian wasn’t sure if he supported this particular endeavor, but he knew better than to say so.

“That’s Allan. I’ve told you that he’s the one I’ve been trying to befriend, but I can’t seem to get past his shell,” Chloe answered.

Jon added, “He’s really nice, and he’ll help you pick up your books if you drop them in the hallway, but he doesn’t ever talk to anyone here.”

“Why not?”

Damian answered for his friends. “His father is a villain that has attacked Gotham numerous times in the past. I personally think that he’s scared that people will judge him for his father. I guess he has good reason to, because there aren’t many stores outside of Crime Alley that will let any of the Rogues or their children into their shops.”

“That’s horrible!” Marinette cried. “Has he done anything to Gotham?”

All four Gothamites at the table shook their heads.

Marinette stood up, determination on her face. She picked up her tray, and immediately marched over to the far corner where Allan was sitting, reading a book on EMDR.

“Jon, why don’t you stay with everyone and Chloe and I will follow Marinette,” Damian suggested. Jon nodded, though he looked like he’d rather join them.

Chloe got up immediately and followed her best friend, cautiously optimistic that the boy would be willing to open up to them. Damian doubted it. After all, Crane had managed to barely speak a word to any of his peers for the last four years. He doubted a foreign girl would make any difference.

Marinette set her tray down next to Allan, though there was a good three feet in between them. Chloe and Damian took seats on the opposite side of the table. The girl shot a glare at Chloe when it looked like the blonde was going to say something, and she immediately closed her mouth. With a small flick of her head, she gave the girl all the encouragement she needed.

Allan had looked up when they sat down, and was watching them, rather like an animal of prey keeping a watch on a potential predator. Marinette turned and rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small box and a notepad as well as her sketchbook. She started working on one of her designs in her sketchbook and after a few minutes of not talking, she switched over to the notepad, wrote something down, opened the box, which held brightly colored macaroons, and slid both the notepad and the box over to Allan.

Damian raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, as he watched Allan read the note, hesitate, then take one of the cookies. He bit into it, and his face immediately brightened.

“Those are really good,” he whispered, a small smile spreading across his face.

“Thank you,” Marinette said simply before turning back to your sketch.

“Do you want something?” Allan asked, more out of curiosity, it seemed.

The pencil paused mid-stroke, and Marinette cast a quick glance at Allan. “No. I just didn’t think you’d want to be alone.”

“I’m usually alone,” the boy pointed out.

The next smile from the Sunshine child was considerably gloomier, rather like the day was. “So was I. That doesn’t mean I liked it.”

The table was silent for another minute. Then, “You know my father’s the Scarecrow, right?”

“I’ve heard he was a brilliant scientist and professor before his experiments backfired. I wish his studies could have been continued in a way that wasn’t dangerous, because I think it could have helped a lot of people in the long run.”

Damian stared at the girl in disbelief. Chloe just leaned her head onto her hand, a smile lighting up her face as she watched her best friend work her magic.

“You read about his studies?” Allan asked, bemused.

“Of course. I studied all of Gotham before I decided to enter my class for the competition. After all, I needed to know what kind of dangers we were looking at while we stayed here. Your father, Mr. Freeze, Miss Harley Quinn, and a few others were brilliant, and I wish that those few bad days hadn’t happened to them. They would have done so much for the world, and I think they still can. I mean, Mr. Freeze invented portable cryonic technology, which is keeping him alive right now. Think of what that could mean for the people that are suffering for injuries in war or the refugees fleeing their country. And Miss Quinn was one of the world’s greatest psychologists. I was so glad when I found out that she broke away from Joker.”

Allan still looked bemused, and Damian didn’t blame him. Who was Marinette? How was this plan even working? Allan was talking, of his own free will, to her. Chloe just beamed.

“What about you, though?” Marinette asked.

“Uh what about me?” Allan responded, taken aback and retreating back into his shell.

“Well, I noticed that you were reading a book on EMDR. It’s really helped me deal with some traumatic events in my past and helped me with my panic attacks as well. Are you interested in psychology?”

How was this working? Allan relaxed again and started to explain more of the science behind EMDR and why it was so successful for veterans and anyone else that suffered from PTSD.

“Growing up, I was dosed with a lot of fear toxin. I’ve pretty much built up an immunity to it, but there are some things that don’t go away; that are stuck forever in your mind. I want to help people with things like that.”

“That’s a great idea,” Marinette agreed, her smile lighting up their little corner. “I’m Marinette, by the way.”

“Allan.”

“Are you, by chance, named after Edgar Allan Poe?”

The boy chuckled. “Of course. He is one of the best horror writers in the world, and if there’s one thing my dad loves, it’s fear.”

Marinette’s forehead wrinkled. “Surely he loves you, too,” she whispered.

Allan let out a full belly laugh. “Actually, my Pa is a real softy, especially when he’s on his meds. When one of the other Rogues are backsliding, he takes their kids and hides them out so their parents can’t pull them into their schemes. Riddler does the same with me when my Pa forgets to take his meds for too long. And I’m happy to say that it’s been three years since the last Scarecrow attack.”

The girl relaxed. “I’m glad. I’ve got such loving parents, that I hate it whenever someone else has ones that are horrible. Adrien’s dad is the worst.”

“Marinette,” Chloe cut in, her tone sharp. “You do not get to defend him. Not after what he’s done to you.”

“I’m not defending him, Chloe. I swear,” she added at the skeptical look that her friend gave her. “Adrien has lost my friendship and trust a long time ago, and he’s not ever going to earn it back after what he’s done. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t feel sorry for the fact that he grew up in a loveless home. I wouldn’t even wish that on Lila.”

“You’re too good, Mari-bug,” Chloe said with a shake of her head.

“Is Lila the one claiming to date Wayne, here?” asked Allan, brushing his bangs out of his eyes impatiently.

Marinette giggled. “That’s her. The best part is that she was claiming that Bruce and “Dami-bear” are on a business trip to Japan and won’t be here until the end of July. I don’t think she expected Bruce to show up, but it seemed as though her cult didn’t even register the direct evidence against her lie.”

Allan let out a small giggle. “Dami-bear? And you didn’t immediately kill her?” he asked Damian.

On his part, Damian was angry. He wanted so badly to rip apart that Lila, but he also knew that he needed to keep cool. “It was tempting, believe me, Crane.”

“Allan. Call me Allan, please. Most people who call me Crane only focus on my father. I love my Pa, but I want to be different.”

Damian gave a short nod. That was part of the reason that he took up the name Wayne instead of Al Ghul. He could respect that request.

“Come on, lunch is almost over and we’ve got the dodgeball tournament going on in a half an hour” Metal said, startling everyone. “Hey Allan,” she winked. “Still going strong with your boyfriend?”

Allan blushed a deep red, and Damian hid a smirk. It was an open secret at the school that Allan was dating Lyle Fries, and they were both smitten with each other. What came next actually did surprise him.

“We’re open to having a third join us occasionally,” Allan said back, his face still bright red and his voice shy, but he threw a wink at Metal.

For the first time in his attendance at Gotham Academy, Damian watched Metal turn a brilliant red, as she nodded shyly. “Perhaps we can have dinner sometime,” she said. Turning to Marinette, she motioned to the notebook. “May I?”

“Of course,” Marinette beamed up at her. What was with this girl and her blindingly bright smiles? Couldn’t she tone it down for the rest of the poor souls that grew up in gloomy Gotham.

Metal scribbled something down and tore the paper out before handing it to Allan. “Call me when you want to do something,” she said, before scurrying off to lead her group of French students towards the gymnasium and the dodgeball tournament.

“That was so sweet,” Marinette cooed. “Here, why don’t you take the rest of the macaroons and share them with your boyfriend,” she offered as she pushed the box towards the flustered boy. Damian could not believe that this little foreign girl was actually able to crack Allan’s walls, and he was talking to others. He FLIRTED! Allan never flirted in public. At least, not that Damian knew of.

“Come on Mari-bug. You’re going to love dodgeball,” Chloe said, hauling Marinette and Damian to their feet. “Are you going to come with, Allan?”

The boy looked down at the box of cookies and carefully put the lid back on. “Yeah, I think I am,” he said, sliding the box into his bag, a small smile partially hidden by his bangs as he leaned over.

* * * * * * *

Dodgeball was brutal. Damian loved playing the game, because he could let out his more competitive side and show off a little bit. Jon always pouted whenever there was a dodgeball competition, because he was forever banned from that sport by his parents and teachers. Super strength had its drawbacks. But Damian thrived in the chaos. He loved dodging and throwing and strategizing. It was like he was Robin whenever he played, and he always won.

The first round was France vs. Gotham, with players selected from both classes that the French kids were in. Damian, Allan, Chloe, Metal, a kid named Robin (Ironic. And it was Dick’s fault.), and a couple other kids that Damian didn’t know. The other side included all of the French kids aside from Mylene, who opted out. Lila had tried, but Alix, through clever needling, got her to stay in and play.

Gotham decimated France. It was their home turf, after all. Chloe got in a lucky shot and got Marinette out. Alix held out, but Metal beat her in a storm of dodgeballs. Kim was also toppled by Damian. However, Damian took particularly fierce pleasure in nailing Lila in the stomach. His lips twitched up into a smirk as he continued to battle the other team. Not many were left, and soon, Gotham won, with most of their own teammates still in.

A mixed game was next, and it was a bit more evenly matched. Most of the French kids got out first, but Marinette was more careful, and he could see her eyes darting all over the room, assessing the dangers and advantages that she had. He was glad that she was on his team this round, because she could be a fearsome opponent if she so desired. Chloe got out quickly that time, and Marinette smirked at the girl. One by one, Marinette and Damian worked together to erase any of the major threats on the opposite team.

Damian was surprised at how well they worked together. When he was distracted by trying to hit Allan, Marinette pulled him to the side, out of the way of a ball thrown by Metal. A few seconds later, he knocked a ball away from Marinette’s turned back, and she gave him a small smile before turning and nailing Allan on his unprotected side.

The only downside was that they also had Lila on their team, and no matter how satisfying it would be, Damian refused to sabotage his winning streak. Unfortunately, when Damian was busy in a duel with Robin, he heard a squeak, and turned in time to see Marinette trip over Lila’s outstretched foot.

“Oops. I’m sorry, Marinette. I guess you should watch where you’re going.”

There were cries of outrage from the stands, since basically everyone had seen the liar purposely put her foot in Marinette’s path, just to trip her.

“Would it kill you to actually help for once?” Marinette grumbled as she rolled out of the way of a ball thrown by the glasses girl, Alya.

“Now, now, Marinette. You heard what Miss Ferguson said. No bullying or you’ll be kicked out. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Damian really hated that girl. As annoying as Marinette was with her eternal optimism, he couldn’t stand the fake sweetness the other girl. He turned and made eye-contact with Metal. “Do something,” he mouthed, and she got a wicked grin on her face.

“Batter up!” Metal yelled, and threw her dodgeball as hard as she could, straight at Lila’s face. The girl happened to turn just in time so that it hit the back of her head, but either way, it had to have hurt. Metal had a mean throw.

Lila was given a penalty shot, but she missed by a mile, and was gotten out in the next five minutes. The game ended soon after, with Damian maintaining his streak.

“That was a good game,” Marinette said as they took a water break. “You’re pretty good at it.”

“You’re not bad yourself,” he conceded. Indeed, Marinette was probably the most competent in the class, followed closely by Kim and Alix.

“Alright,” Miss Ferguson shouted over the noise. “For our last game, we are having a Champion Round.”

The Gothamites cheered wildly. It was their favorite round to play. Damian had to agree as it showcased his skills the best.

“What’s a Champion Round?” asked the model. He had been a fair opponent, but still far too easily beat.

“A Champion Round has five players, or champions, on each side, chosen by their classmates. There are no second chances, and once out, you stay out. Other than that, no head shots, no cheap shots, and no throwing the game. This round goes on until there is a winner.”

For Gotham, Damian was chosen, of course, as was Chloe, Metal, Robin, and, surprisingly, Allan. Which made sense, since the boy was talented and had some training from the Rogues. He would be a valuable ally.

For France, Lila was immediately chosen. The Gothamites rolled their eyes at the blatant favoritism, since Alya would have been a better choice. Adrien Agreste, Alix, and Kim were all chosen rather quickly, which also made sense.

“You still need one more Champion,” Miss Ferguson pointed out.

“Nino,” Alya announced.

“No way, dude. I’m done for the day. Pick Marinette, she’s not even breathing hard.”

“Yeah, let Marinette play.”

“Did you see her dive out of the way when the blonde chick threw the ball at her?”

“Or when she pulled Damian out of the way?”

“Girl’s got mad skills.”

“Marinette,” cut in Miss Ferguson. “It seems as though you have been volunteered as Champion.”

The girl smiled and walked confidently onto the gym floor. “Ready Bourgeois?” she taunted.

“You’re going down, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe jeered back.

The whistle blew, and the nine kids darted towards the center, frantically grabbing dodgeballs and throwing them back to their side. The Adrien kid sidled up next to Marinette, and put his hand around her waist, pulling her behind him. Marinette hit the back of his head with the dodgeball she held and wriggled out of his grasp. Damian watched the interaction with concern. Marinette looked angry, not flirtatious, like she would have if she had liked the model. He remembered Chloe bad-mouthing the kid during lunch and with a snarl, Damian launched a volley of balls towards him. Allan seemingly noticed as well, because his gaze was trained ferociously on the model as he threw ball after ball at him.

Lila was the first to get out, followed closely by Adrien. They were the weak links in the French team, and the Gothamites knew it.

“Kim, cover the left, Alix, the right. Start on each side and meet in the middle,” the girl said, and the others leapt to obey. She was a natural leader, it seemed.

“Hey, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe called, “wanna dance?”  
“Hah, Queenie, you couldn’t keep up with me.”

The girls locked into their own deadly battle, each focused solely on getting the other out. Allan nailed Kim on the shoulder, and Alix tripped Metal with a low throw. A stray throw from Marinette got Robin out, leaving two on one. Damian slinked away from the two girls who were jeering and cat-calling each other, ready to throw a ball into Marinette’s blind spot and get her out.

The ball flew true, and Damian felt a surge of pride as he saw it on its way to his target. Marinette didn’t even seem to notice it coming. Then, at the last second, Marinette dropped into a roll, coming up with two balls and throwing one high and one low at Chloe, boxing his teammate in. Chloe was out. It was one on one, now.

“Come on Damian,” shouted Metal. “Don’t let us down!”

“I don’t intend to. I’m not breaking my winning streak,” he snarked back.

“Take him out, Mari!” Grayson shouted. Traitor. He’d get him back later.

“Like on a date, or with a sniper?” she shouted back, as Marinette’s gaze analyzed him. Damian raised one eyebrow. Clearly, he had underestimated her before.

“I’m not picky,” answered Grayson. “I think Alfred wants great-grandbabies, though, so probably date.”

“If Alfred wants great-grandbabies, you should probably propose to Barbara soon,” she called back, causing Grayson to choke on the water he had been drinking.

“I’m impressed, Marinette,” Damian said, while he paced on his side of the court. “You are certainly talented, and you managed to shock Grayson. That’s not done very often.”

“I like to be unpredictable,” she said back with a wink.

Damian threw a dodgeball at the girl. She sidestepped it.

He threw another, this time at her feet. Marinette leapt out of the way.

“Are you going to keep testing me, or are you going to give me a challenge?”

Damian smiled, wide and toothy.

“Oh, you’re in for it now, Mari-bug!”

What came next could only be described as a bombardment. He threw every ball he could find at the girl, trying to anticipate her moves, but she seemed to swim lithely through the hailstorm. And she still hadn’t thrown a single ball at him.

Eventually, he ran out of ammo, causing Damian to jerk out of the intense focus he had trained on Marinette. She stood there, in the middle of a pile of balls, smirking at him.

“My turn,” she said in a singsong voice.

Not even Two-Face could challenge his acrobatic skills as well as Marinette could in that moment. Damian didn’t have a second to try and pick up a ball, because another one was already on his way. He had to do several back handsprings to get out of the way of the barrage. It was obvious now that she had been holding back with Chloe, and he could even hear his friend give an appreciative whistle.

During a roll, his hand brushed a ball, and he grabbed it, coming up onto his feet in a smooth, practiced motion. He had to keep moving, but he now had a way to hit the girl. He had one advantage.

“I’m not surprised Mari-slut is that bendy,” he heard the liar’s voice sneer over the sounds of the dodgeballs hitting the walls and floor. “After all, she likes to make her rounds through the school.”

Marinette had heard. She faltered in her next throw, but as Damian locked eyes with her, she became focused and determined. She stepped forward, ready to start the next series of throws, when her foot landed on a ball, sending her crashing to the floor. Ignoring the rules, Damian rushed over to her. He didn’t care if he won or lost, when his opponent had a potential concussion.

“Are you okay?” he asked, as he knelt next to her head.

“I think so,” she responded, pushing herself up, just as Chloe and Dick arrived at her side. Damian offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet.

“No concussion?” Dick asked, checking her pupils and feeling the back of her head for a bump.

“Vision’s fine and I’m only slightly dizzy. It’s not the worst knock on the head I’ve gotten,” she said, smiling at Damian. He grinned back, and tapped her on the shoulder with the dodgeball he still held.

“In that case, I win.”

“That’s playing dirty,” she pouted at him. Then Marinette winced as Dick’s fingers probed a particularly sensitive spot on her head. “Then again, I probably would have had to forfeit. I’m not risking my life for a game of dodgeball.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t faced an opponent like you in a long time,” Damian said. “I was impressed.”

“It does make me feel better.”

Chloe shoved Damian to the side, grabbing her friend’s hands. “How are you emotionally?” she asked. “I heard what Lila said. I’m pretty sure we all did. In fact, she’s getting a lecture from Miss Ferguson right now.”

Marinette shrugged. “I’m okay. I pretty much ignore what she says nowadays. She just caught me off guard today.”

“You shouldn’t have to suppress your emotions,” Dick said gently. “It’s okay to feel hurt or humiliated or offended. I was offended for you.”

“Thanks, but it’s just easier at this point to just ignore whatever feelings I may have. I just really want a pack of ice right now.”

Damian frowned. What was this about suppressing emotions? It seemed like there was some underlying problem that they weren’t outright saying. But even he knew that ignoring what you were feeling was a bad idea and caused the eventual eruption of emotion to be explosive. After all, he watched his family interact on the daily basis and they were champions of not addressing or expressing any kind of feeling or emotion.

“Here’s an ice pack, Marinette,” said Allan, holding a small pack out to her. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

“Thank you, Allan,” she beamed at him. “That was very sweet of you.”

Allan blushed and turned away, going over to stand next to Metal who was watching the French class angrily. Damian looked over and raised an eyebrow. It seemed as though some of the students were defending Lila, while the others were gesturing wildly in their direction, obviously angry on Marinette’s behalf. Deciding that that situation would not be handled until Dick or Miss Ferguson stepped in and separated them, Damian turned back to Marinette.

“I’m serious, though. I’m really impressed. Did you do any acrobatics or self-defense training?”

“I did some, not a lot. I’m mostly self-taught, and I really enjoy parkour and free-running.” Marinette giggled at Damian. His surprise must have showed, because she said, “I did say that I’ve gotten worse knocks on the head. I know enough to know when I have a concussion or not, and most of that comes from my after-school activities.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more, Marinette, and I’m sure Jon is dying to spend more time with you as is Chloe.”

“I wouldn’t mind that either. Any friend of Chloe’s is a friend of mine.”

Well. He hadn’t actually made a friend since Chloe came to Gotham Academy. But today, it seems as though he made a few more, including the Scarecrow’s son. Damian wasn’t about to complain though.

After school, when Damian got to the Manor, Jason was waiting in the living room. “Sooooo,” he drawled. “Did you meet Marinette?”

“I did.”

“And? How did you like her?”

Damian thought about the girl that seemed ridiculous and clumsy, but kind. She had managed to break through Allan’s shell, and had held her own against _the_ Robin. Honestly, he had no idea who would have won if that liar hadn’t distracted Marinette. It would have been close, that’s for sure. He thought about her annoying cheerfulness, and the way that her smile seemed to glow. _Maybe Gotham needs a little more sunshine_, he thought.

“She’s adequate,” he decided.

The next hour was spent running from Todd as he shouted “ADEQUATE” throughout the house. All in all, it was an okay day, despite the way his morning started.

Bonus:

Just met #sunshineingotham and she is everything the Waynes promised. @Allan_Crane even liked her. I’m just hoping this metalhead can try one of those macaroons someday.

@PuzzlerQ Operation welcome #sunshineingotham is a go. She’s really nice. She gave me macaroons. She also almost beat Damian at dodgeball.

@Allan_Crane !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #soexcited #sunshineingotham #riddlemethis #gonnatakehertofashiondistrict #mdcisthecoolest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will probably be updating once a week instead of daily from now on, since I have my disease and school to balance. So look for an update on Saturday or Sunday of each week.


	11. Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The VKs are ocs (i think) that were created by my friend @aloha-posts-stuff and @kelelamentia. The credit belongs to them, I just borrowed the characters because I love them. Same goes for Metal, whose creator is @someone-ev on tumblr.

“WE’RE GOING TO THE WAYNE GALA! WE’RE GOING TO THE WAYNE GALA! WE’RE GOING TO THE WAYNE GALA! WE’RE GOING T—”

“I love you Marinette, but please stop screaming.”

Marinette stopped mid prance and turned to see Alix hanging upside down off of the bed, she was chewing a piece of gum and reading one of Kim’s comics that he had “lost” two months ago. Juleka was leaning against the headboard, headphones on, drowning out her new roommate’s screams as she wrote music. Kitty Section had broken up shortly after Rose broke up with Juleka, and both she and Luka were studying under Jagged Stone. Luka was his official understudy, and Juleka has been taking lessons on how to portray a public image.

“I have to make my dress!”

Alix popped her bubble. “What do you mean? You did bring a formal dress, didn’t you?”

Marinette shook her head. “I wanted to get some rare material here in Gotham, so I could make my own formal gown.”

Both girls giggled.

“Only you would see that requirement and go, ‘I’d rather spend my vacation making a gorgeous gown than see Gotham.’ You won’t have time to sew one. Where’d you even get a machine?” Alix pointed out.

“I was planning on buying a small one and donating it to one of the orphanages right before we leave,” Marinette answered, as she flipped idly through her sketchbook. “I want to do something that is new and bold, and completely me, but none of these are right,” she groaned.

“You’ll figure it out,” Juleka said, not looking up from her notebook. “I would love to have an MDC original, but all I have is an old dress of my mum’s.”

Marinette’s eye twitched. “Old dress?”

“Yeah. She wore it to a party twenty years ago, and it’s all wrinkled and stuff and doesn’t even fit me properly, but we couldn’t really afford a brand name formal dress.”

Alix piped up, “I don’t even have a dress. I figured, formal for me is a skater skirt, so that’s what I brought.”

Horror. That was the only way to describe the way Marinette was feeling.

Alix must have realized something was wrong, because she slid off the bed, and turned to face Marinette. Marinette was vibrating, her eyes taking on a crazy look.

“Now, hold on, Mari. Calm down. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Marinette stomped over to her suitcase, and dug around, flinging her clothes all over the room as she searched for something deep inside. Eventually, she pulled out a tape measure and stomped over to Alix and grabbing her tightly by the arm.

“Hey!! Watch it!”

She wrapped the tape measure around her waist. “I’m taking your measurements. I know they’ve changed since the last time I did them.” Marinette made a note in her sketchbook before wrapping it around her shoulders. Another note. She was fast, as she had gotten really good at taking measurements for a dozen people in a short amount of time. “You’re next Juleka,” Marinette shot at her other roommate, while she was measuring Alix’s arm length and width.

“Why?”

“You are not going to the WAYNE GALA in an old dress and a skater skirt. You are going in MDC originals, perfectly matching your individual style.”

* * *

It wasn’t the class’s fault this time. It really wasn’t. Marc had stuck close by her, as had Juleka, who still had her dream of being a model, and was excited to see the process of designing first hand. Dick kept the class close, and most of the girls were combing the fashion boutiques for dresses and accessories for the Wayne Gala. Alix just skated around Kim and Max, bothering them, as they went looking for souvenirs. Dick kept a close eye on them, along with Jason and Tim, who had both come along for the day to help their older brother keep track of all the students. Tim was the one who was watching over the groups wandering through the shops. Jason was keeping a close watch on Lila but also would goad Kim and Alix into doing stupid dares. Dick watched them all, making sure no one went out of his line of vision.

Everything was going smoothly, until the storm crashed over them. Marinette screeched and ran to the nearest overhang to get out of the hailstorm of rain. Her fabrics could not get wet if she could help it. They were far too expensive to be ruined only moments after she had purchased them. Marinette ran inside the small coffee shop, set the fabrics on an empty table, before rushing to grab dozens of napkins from around the entire coffee shop. She hurried to pat down the plastic bags and make sure that none of the fabrics had been damaged.

After she finished drying the plastic bags, she wrapped all of the bags in her rain jacket, making sure that nothing would be exposed to the elements, she headed back out, determined to catch up with her classmates. The rain was coming down in sheets, and it was impossible to see more than four feet in front of her. Marinette turned right, hoping that was the direction that she had come from and started calling for her friends.

“Juleka! Marc! Alix! Kim! Nino! Max! Where are you guys?”

There was no response but the heavy rainfall, that was seeping into her skin. Thankfully, her jacket was fully waterproof and her fabrics were safe from the onslaught. Marinette trudged through the rain, her eyes squinting through the water, seeing vaguely human shapes all moving away from her.

“Alix!”

She heard a distant cry of “Mari!” from her left and headed that way, tripping over cracks in the sidewalk and running into the lampposts. Her forehead was sore from the many times she had hit it.

“Dick! Can you hear me?” she called.

No answer.

“Jason! Tim!”

Still no answer.

The rain only came down harder, and Marinette stumbled down the streets, ears straining to hear any of her classmates. At this point, she would even be glad to hear Lila’s voice if it meant that she could find her class and get out of the rain.

Marinette walked into a solid, lean body, and looked up to apologize. The guy was around Nino’s height, and had long red hair that was dripping down his shoulders from the rain. There was a hint of mischievousness in his eyes and a permanent quirk to his mouth. Despite the hints of joviality, he did look worried.

“Are you okay, Miss?” he shouted over the rain.

She shook her head. “I lost my class. We got separated and I can’t find them!”

“Where was your class last?”

“We were shopping in the Fashion District.”

The boy blinked at her. “That’s nearly two miles away, miss. How did you wander so far?”

“Two miles?” she gasped, almost dropping her precious bundle. He nodded. “I guess, I just kept wandering and didn’t even realize how far I had gone.”

“Why don’t we get you out of the rain. I know a place nearby that is warm and dry and you will be safe while you get ahold of your teacher.”

Marinette blinked. _Her phone._ She really was an idiot. With a frantic juggling of her fabrics, which, thankfully, were still dry thanks to her rain jacket, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. It was sopping wet. Marinette tried to turn it on again and again, but the phone was well and truly waterlogged and dead.

With a heavy sigh and tears prickling her eyes, Marinette looked up at the boy and nodded. “I think I could use a warm place to rest.”

“I’m Edwin, by the way,” he said, offering his arm for her to take.

“Marinette,” she giggled in response and took the arm, making sure that her bundle was safe and wouldn’t come unraveled.

“Welcome to Gotham, Marinette.”

It didn’t take long for the pair to reach the place Edwin was talking about. It had fancy windows, but the water flowing down them didn’t let her see any details of the place. The only thing she could make out was a sign with an iceberg on it.

“One of my uncles runs this place. Me and a bunch of my cousins were practically raised here,” Edwin said, smiling widely. “They can be a rowdy bunch, so don’t get scared off.”

He opened the door and held it for Marinette, letting her go in first.

“Welcome to the Iceberg Lounge,” he said, coming after her and shaking his head like a wet dog.

“Winnie, Ozzie’s told you not to do that at the door. Why you insist on going out in weather like this beats me,” someone said, and Marinette turned to look at them. They were lounging on one of the tables, feet swinging idly as they glared at Edwin. Their hair was pulled back in a messy bun on top of their head, and they had a baggy jacket that looked extremely comfy.

“Because its _fun_, Culsans,” Edwin answered, shrugging out of his jacket and laying it over the back of one of the chairs at the same table as Culsans. “And I brought a guest.”

Culsans sat up, one eyebrow arching up in surprise as they studied Marinette. “Not like you to bring a girl home, Winnie.”

“Oh, shut up. She was separated from her class in Fashion District and was wandering around in the rain. You know the only one that would leaver her out there is Joker. Not even Penguin would that cruel.”

“True. Why doncha introduce us, Winnie,” they said, lying back down, though they never took their eyes off of Marinette. There wasn’t a hard edge to them though, just mostly curiosity.

Edwin took the edge of his shirt and wrung the water out of it on Culsans’ head, who immediately lurched up and started swearing colorfully. Marinette had no idea what those words were, since she had never learned them when learning English, but she knew it was bad by the way Edwin was cackling.

“That was hilarious Culsans. You should have seen your face!”

“Shut up, you moron. You have a guest. Or have you forgotten already?”

“Oh, right. Sorry. Marinette, this is Janus/Culsans, but today he prefers Culsans. Culsans, this is Marinette.”

Said girl set her bundle on a table and shyly stuck her hand out for him to shake. Culsans studied her for a moment, before recognition flitted behind his dark eyes. “You’re the Sunshine of Gotham that everyone’s been talking about, aren’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“What?” Marinette was taken aback. “I’ve only been in Gotham for a few days, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

Edwin lit up. “Oh man, they are not going to believe me.”

Culsans had pulled out his phone and started scrolling through one of the apps. “Why don’t you go and get them. They’re in the back room.”

Edwin dashed off, leaving Marinette alone with Culsans. Rather than bother them with her need to ramble, Marinette turned to her bundle and started unraveling the rain jacket. Mindful of the water on her jacket, Marinette took the various fabrics and set them to the side so that they wouldn’t be ruined by the water. She had gotten a lot of black, but the style of cloth was very different, from silk for her own gown, to fine wool for Alix’s formal wear. The fabrics were high-end and of particularly fine quality, and Marinette was glad she had found the pieces within her price range, though she had spent most of her spending money for this trip on the one shopping spree.

“What are you doing?” Culsans asked, interrupting her.

“I’m going to get my jacket dry. But I don’t want my fabrics all wet, because then they’ll get ruined.”

“Wait, are you telling me that you walked two miles in the rain, getting soaked, I might add, with a rain jacket that you used to protect your fabric instead of yourself?”

Marinette was confused. It was a logical course of action. “Yes?”

“You should care more about your health than some stupid fabric!” he cried, shedding his jacket and draping it around Marinette’s shoulders. She tried to protest, but the weight and the warmth convinced her far too quickly.

“Thank you,” she squeaked, before her mind returned to the owner’s previous statement. “The fabrics cost $300 dollars, thank you very much. I can handle a small cold if they don’t get ruined. I can’t afford any more at this point.”

“Culsans!” Edwin’s voice floated out from the back room. “Don’t flirt with her! We want her to like us!”

The brunette smirked before leaning up against the table, folding his arms and showing off several flower tattoos. “I want her to like me, too,” he shouted back before throwing a wink at Marinette, who was blushing brilliantly.

“Anyway,” he said, smiling down at her, “let’s ignore Winnie. What are you using those fabrics for?”

This was something she could talk about. Marinette dug her sketchbook out from the pile of fabrics, thankful she had had the foresight to put it in there, unlike her phone and flipped through to her most recent designs. “My class is on here for a trip, and Mr. Wayne invited us to go to the Wayne Gala at the end of the month. I’m making me and two of my friends formal wear because they brought an ancient dress and a skater skirt to go to Wayne Gala.”

Marinette shudders and Culsans laughs loud and full. “I think there are worse things to go to the Wayne Gala in then a skater skirt and an old dress.”

She made a face at that. “I’d rather where a paper bag.”

“I have no doubt you’d pull it off, but how about we stick with beautiful ballgowns,” came a voice from behind Marinette and she whirled around to see a tall, ginger, with soulful green eyes, and a shirt that matched perfectly. Edwin stood behind him, his grin wide and mischievous. Next to him was a thin boy, not much taller than her with white hair and ice-like eyes and next to him—

“Allan?”

“Marinette,” he said warmly, though his voice was just as soft as it had been the day before. “I never expected to see you here.”

“I was out in the rain and Edwin found me and brought me here.”

Culsans smirked at Edwin. “I told you, Winnie. She’s the Sunshine of Gotham that everyone’s been talking about.”

That still didn’t make any sense to Marinette. “I told you before, I’m not from Gotham, so you must be thinking of something else.”

Allan shook his head. “No, they’re definitely talking about you. “The Waynes were the first ones to really tweet about you, and they’ve taken to calling you Sunshine. #SunshineofGotham is trending on Twitter right now, and as soon as I met you and realized that Grayson knew you, I knew you had to be the Sunshine girl.” He took out his phone and showed Marinette the tweets that Jason and Dick and Steph had sent the night of the dinner.

“They really did that?”

The new redhead nodded. “Harley and my mom already want to meet you. And I don’t mean bad meet, but actually meet you.”

Marinette looked at the group of kids that surrounded her. Allan, she knew to be the son of Scarecrow, aka Jonathan Crane, and if she had to take a guess, she’d say that Edwin was the son of the Riddler. The other redhead had to be the son of Poison Ivy, but she had no idea who the pale boy was or who Culsans’s parent was.

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, holding her hand out to the redhead in front of her. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Marinette.”

“Oh, we know who you are. You’re all anyone has been able to talk about, and after Allan came home and shared those macaroons with us, we’ve been wanting to officially welcome you to Gotham. It didn’t really turn out how we planned. My name is Manny, by the way.”

“It’s good to meet you, Manny,” Marinette said, shaking his hand firmly. Her face, however, was bright red. “And I’m so glad that you all enjoyed my macaroons.”

“And you’ve already met me,” Culsans said. “My dad is Harvey Dent.” He took a defensive stance, and looked at Marinette as though daring her to say anything bad.

“I actually really admire his work as a lawyer. I heard that he and Bruce Wayne were best friends for a long time and that he helped Commissioner Gordon erase police corruption from the GCPD.” She smiled disarmingly at Culsans, hoping to put him at ease that she wasn’t going to attack him or his father.

He smiled back. “You’ve met Edwin, and I’m sure you can guess that he’s—”

“The son of the Riddler. Your dad really is genius. I’ve watched some videos, and if it weren’t for the life or death situations, I would absolutely love answering your dad’s riddles. I can only imagine how good he would be at constructing Escape Rooms.”

Edwin’s eyes lit up. “You like puzzles?”

Marinette nodded enthusiastically. “I love looking outside the box, and coming up with creative solutions to problems. My answers aren’t always the standard ones, but they always work.”

“We’ll have to have a game of wit soon, Marinette,” he said with a wink.

Marinette turned to the others. “You’re all children of Gotham’s Rogues, aren’t you?” she asked.

She could see the pale boy stiffen beside Allan and grab the taller boy’s hand, probably for support or comfort. She smiled softly at him, not wanting to scare him.

“I actually think most of the Rogues are pretty brilliant. I’m not fond of their costumes, but that’s the designer in me. I’d like to meet them sometime, so long as they’re not holding a gun to my head. After all, Dr. Victor Fries is the leading expert in cryonic technology and could do so much good for the world. And Harvey Dent is the greatest lawyer the world has ever seen. Ivy has a love of nature that I love and adore. Harley Quinn and Jonathan Crane are incredible psychiatrists and have made ground-breaking discoveries on ways to best deal with mental health.”

The pale boy cocked his head as he looked at Marinette with calculating eyes. He had a depth and a warmth to them that indicated he was an old soul. “You really believe that, don’t you?” he asked softly.

Marinette merely nodded. She held his gaze and kept her smile on her face, knowing that he was searching his soul. Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette saw the other kids looking at the boy, waiting to see how he reacted to her and she knew they would accept her if he did but would throw her out if he was uncomfortable.

The boy let go of Allan’s hand and slipped between Edwin and Manny before he was standing in front of Marinette. “I’m Lyle,” he said, holding his hand out for her to shake. “Welcome to Gotham. My dad will be pleased to speak with you, I think. It’s not often that he finds anyone willing to speak with him about his technology.”

Tension dissipated, and the Rogues’ kids swarmed around her and started asking her questions about herself. Allan left for a moment and returned with a sweatshirt and sweatpants for her to change into instead of sitting in her wet clothes. The clothes were much too large, but they were extremely warm.

When they asked her why she hadn’t called her teacher to let them know where she was, she had to explain the situation. “It’s been better now that I have people that spend time with me, and Dick is absolutely wonderful to have around. He doesn’t tolerate Alya or Lila bad-mouthing me, and he keeps an eye out for any sabotage they might pull.”

Culsans stood up straight and looked at Marinette. “Wait, Dick Grayson is taking care of your class?”

Marinette nodded.

Allan broke into a grin, one that lit up his eyes with happiness. “We can help you, then. And I’m sure Dick is going crazy with worry right now, so we can ease his worries.”

“What?”

Edwin raced to the backroom, flinging open the door and disappearing from Marinette’s sight, though she could still hear his voice echoing faintly.

“Where did Edwin go?”

“He’s going to get our parents. Harley and Ivy have Dick on speed-dial and they’ve all wanted to meet you. Especially Ivy,” answered Culsans. “Be prepared to be bombarded by questions.”

“Wait, what? Won’t they be mad that some random girl is with their kids?” Marinette paused and looked around at where Edwin had brought her. “Wait a second. This is the Iceberg Lounge. Oh gosh, they’re gonna be so mad I came here uninvited! I can’t believe this! I have to go before they see me!”

Manny put his hand on her shoulder, stopping Marinette from dashing to gather up her fabrics. “That is nonsense, Marinette. Edwin brought you here, and if one of us brings you here than no one is allowed to harm you unless that permission is revoked. And I think it’s safe to say that none of us want you to be hurt, especially after what you told us about your class. Needless to say, they will not be welcome here.”

Edwin came back in, followed closely by Harvey and Ivy, both who wore enormous grins on their faces. They pushed past the kids and scooped Marinette into a group hug, squeezing her tightly.

“Oh Sunny, I’m so glad to finally meecha. Ya gatta be as sweet as the Wayne boys say!” Harley cooed in her ear.

“You have somehow helped my plants grow so beautifully and I’ve even seen a few extinct species growing since you arrived in Gotham. My dear, please, please say you’ll stay in Gotham forever.”

Marinette flushed brightly. She didn’t know what was going on, but apparently Ivy and Harley liked her which meant that the chances of her dying went down significantly.

“Ya gatta call me Auntie Harley from now on, sweetie! It’s a shame Dickie-boy hasn’t brought ya around yet.”

Manny inserted himself into the tight hug and pulled Marinette from the Sirens’ arms. “Let the girl breathe, Mom.”

“And let the rest of us come say hello,” said a posh voice with a soft accent. Marinette turned and saw Edward Nygma, The Riddler, in all of his glory, hands in his suit pockets and smiling at Marinette. “You must be Marinette. Allan told us how you befriended him yesterday, and I have to say that we were extremely pleased that someone showed our son kindness.”

“Oh, it was no problem. I hate sitting alone, and I figured he wouldn’t like it either so I did what I would have wanted someone else to do.” Then something clicked. “Wait, I though Allan was Jonathan Crane’s son? Not yours.”

Allan shuffled his feet, and Edwin had a wicked grin on his face. “It seems you missed the wedding of the century,” he crowed.

“What?”

Allan glanced between the two tall, skinny men, and glanced down at their left hands. “My Pa and Edwin’s Dad got married last year,” he said, a smile on his face.

Oh. _Oh._ She had heard about it but hadn’t paid the news article any attention, thinking it was just a tabloid article. “My apologies to your family, then. I did not mean to assume.”

“It is no problem, Miss,” said Mr. Crane with a smile as he took his husband’s hand. “I’m just glad to see someone appreciating my son outside of our close-nit group of friends. Far too many people judge him based on his father’s choices.”

“That’s not fair though! Your son hasn’t done anything and everyone that I met said that he is such a kind and sweet boy! My friend Chloe has talked to me for months of how desperately she wanted to befriend him.”

Mr. Crane hummed and looked at his son, who blushed and shrunk into his boyfriend’s side. “It seems as though he has people that care about him. And I believe I heard him telling Lyle about a girl named Metal. Something about a third?”

Both boys flushed brilliantly.

“I helped her once with her math homework. She was really nice and told off a few people that were whispering behind my back.”

Marinette smiled. “Metal seems like a pretty amazing girl. And she was definitely flirting, so maybe you should take her up on her offer.”

Both boys blushed again, but Lyle smiled shyly at Marinette and nodded.

“I see you’ve met pretty much everyone else, my dear, but I have yet to introduce myself,” came a frosty voice from the man that had to be Lyle’s father. “I am—”

“Victor Fries. I am a big fan of your scientific breakthroughs. I’ve read so many reports on your technology, and I am convinced that it could save limbs and lives in war-stricken areas. You could do so much with it.”

The Rogues blinked at the little slip of a girl, drowning in Allan’s clothes, passionately explaining just how the cryonic technology would work to keep emergency amputations from being necessary and how it could keep soldiers from bleeding out by slowing the heart rate significantly. This girl was so different from them. She saw their livelihoods and knew that they had all killed, but she proceeded to explain how Scarecrow’s research into fear could help people with horrible phobias, how Harley’s procedures that had been thrown away after Joker had tainted her could help with PTSD like almost nothing else could and how Ivy’s plants, particularly specific mosses could help reduce the carbon levels in the atmosphere. She showed them how they could change their ways of life to improve the world around them. Not that they would actually do it, but it was the thought that counted.

“What’s going on in here?”

The new voice had a distinct edge to it, and Marinette shrunk away, towards her fabrics and her jacket, ready to snatch them and dash away. Harley, however, noticed the movement and smiled disarmingly at Marinette, reminding her just with her warmth that she was safe here. She had their invitation and their welcome.

“Uncle Ozzie!” shouted Culsans, dodging through the other adults to reach the Penguin’s side. Yes, the Penguin was there and he was staring straight at Marinette. Harvey Dent stood a little ways behind Oswald Cobblepot, wearing a mask over the side of his face that had been disfigured.

“Culsans, what’s going on here?” he asked in his no-nonsense lawyer voice.

“Edwin found the Sunshine,” he answered, unfazed by the harsh tone. “She got separated from her class and wandered over two miles in the rain before he found her.”

Penguin limped through the group of Rogues and stopped in front of Marinette, eyes calculating as he took in her bedraggled appearance, Allan’s clothes, the still dripping rain jacket and the high-end fabric that she had bought.

“What’s your name, girlie?” he asked sharply.

“M-M-Marinette,” she stammered out.

“Hmmm, not exactly confident, is she. Timid, tiny, easily manipulated, I’d guess.” Penguin turned away from her and stalked through the group, dismissing her at once.

The other kids started to protest, as did the other Rogues, but Marinette knew that them vouching for her would not make a good impression on the crime lord. She had to do that on her own. And so, with the fire of rage and determination alight in her soul, she faced down the devil, determined to come out on top.

“Pardon me, Monsieur Penguin, but I do believe you’re mistaken. You see, I am perfectly confident in myself, particularly when I have allies on my side, which I have plenty of. I may not be a crime lord, but I have connections all around the world and I know that using your resources, you could change Gotham for the better, rather than relying on hiding bodies in the harbor and bribing dirty cops.”

Ivy was frantically trying to get Marinette to stop talking, and Lyle had hidden his face in Allan’s chest. Edwin was covering his eyes, and Manny and Culsans shared a worried look with each other. The other adults did the same.

Penguin turned around and sneered at Marinette. “You DARE insult me, little girl?”

“I am not insulting you, Monsieur Penguin, but merely pointing out what you could do with your resources without having the law after you all the time. And if you did it my way, you wouldn’t have Batman or any of his sidekicks and partners after you all the time.”

“I could slit your throat right now, girlie,” Penguin said, pressing a button on his umbrella that released a sharp knife from the tip. “Tell me why I shouldn’t.”

“Because I can help you. You’re fighting for power with Falcone and Maroni right now, as well as trying to keep the drug dealers and prostitutes under your thumb. But if you offer them amenities and safe places to sleep and go to, they will be much more willing to help you than fight you. Respect will gain you more support than fear and will result in fewer traitors and backstabbers. Provide housing for homeless children as a way to keep them off the streets and out of abusive homes. Open soup kitchens and safe apartments with good security. The more you provide, the more they’ll respect and love you. Violence is only a temporary answer. You need to find a permanent one. One that will not just be beneficial to you, but to everyone that works for you so you know you have loyal followers.”

Marinette held her breath at the end of her little speech, and watched the Penguin’s cold eyes. They were chillier than Dr. Freeze’s and he was encased with ice. He was gauging her strengths and weaknesses, calculating how should would react to a situation. Marinette kept her eyes open, letting him see her, since any walls would be immediately noted and she would be dismissed as dangerous and be disposed of.

“Call her guardian and have them pick her up. I want her out of my club as soon as possible,” Penguin barked. The room let out a collective sigh of relief, and Marinette turned to look questioningly at Allan as the man in charge marched into the backroom, no doubt to conduct his business.

Edwin darted forward and pulled Marinette into a hug. “I was so scared for a moment. Uncle Ozzie can be super scary if he thinks someone is a threat to us. I thought for sure he was going to kill you.”

“To be honest, I thought so too. But I’m glad he didn’t. Now, I should probably head out now, since I have no way to contact my guardian.”

Culsans clapped a hand to his head. “We completely forgot. Auntie Harley, Dick is taking care of her class now and is her temporary guardian. Her phone is soaked, and she can’t call anyone. Would you give him a ring?”

“You betcha honey,” Harley giggled before pulling out a phone and pushing a button. “Dickie-bird is number three in my speed dial. Right after Ivy and Selina,” she added with a wink before turning it on speaker phone.

“Hey Harley, normally I’d love to chat, but I’m looking for someone so I’ll have to call you back later,” came Dick’s harried voice through the phone. In the background, she could hear Alya and Alix yelling at each other, though their words were not clear.

“That’s what I’m callin ya about. Winnie found your girl wanderin not far from the Lounge and brought her here to warm up. Ya might wanna come get her though. Ozzie’s in a mood today and wants her out.”

Dick muttered a prayer of relief. “I’m sending Jason over right now with Alfred. I’m so glad that you guys are taking care of her. I’ve been going crazy with worry.”

“Doncha worry Dickie-bird. Your little Sunshine is safe with us. We won’t let anyone hurt her.”

“Is she there? Can I talk to her?”

“Ya, here ya go, sweetcheeks.”

Harley handed the phone over to Marinette, who took it off of speaker phone and held it up to her ear.

“Hey Dick,” she said softly.

“Are you okay?” he immediately asked. “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah, I am. They’ve been really nice to me and I like the Rogues’ kids. They’re really nice. Allan got me dry clothes so I haven’t been sitting in my wet ones.” She was delaying, and everyone knew it.

“While that’s sweet, what I want to know is why you decided to run off in Gotham of all places.” His tone wasn’t harsh or angry, but Marinette still flinched. She hated that she had worried everyone, especially Dick who had been so kind to her.

“I didn’t mean to. I had to keep my fabric dry, since its worth over $300 dollars, and I ran into the nearest building to get it all dry and make sure it wasn’t ruined. By the time I went back outside, the rain was coming down so thick I couldn’t see anyone, and I tried to find you guys. I called your names, and I thought I heard mine once so I went in that direction. I wandered pretty far, I guess, but I really didn’t mean to.”

The other end was silent for a moment. “I’m glad you’re safe. Jason’s on his way now. And next time, care more about your own physical health and safety than some fabric. If needed, I would pay to replace it for you. Just—” he heaved a big sigh. “Just be careful from now on. This isn’t a safe place to wander by yourself.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, Marinette. Have Jason give me a call when he picks you up, okay?”

“I can do that. See you in a bit, Dick.”

“See you. Stay safe.”

The line clicked, and Marinette handed the phone back to Harley, thanking her softly before she went to wrap her fabrics back up in her rain jacket. A hand on hers stopped her and Marinette turned to look in the silver eyes of Lyle.

“We have better,” he said and motioned for her to follow him. She did, ignoring the way that everyone else was watching them, chattering quietly to themselves. She figured that she was a bit of an oddity in a place like the Iceberg Lounge. Not many heroes would say that they would be welcomed into the club without being killed or having to fight for their lives at the end of the night. She would take it.

Lyle handed her plastic sheeting that looked like it was used to cover the white tablecloths that she could see folded in a bin. “We don’t use them, and Uncle Ozzie has yet to throw them out. He lets me use them whenever I want. They’ll work better than your rain jacket.”

“Thank you, Lyle,” she said, smiling at the young man. A faint pink tinged his cheeks and he ducked his head bashfully before practically fleeing back to Allan’s side. Allan’s smile at his boyfriend was sweet, and Marinette cooed silently at how cute they were together. She took the plastic that Lyle had given her and carefully wrapped her fabrics in it.

“Does anyone have a paper and a pen?” Edwin’s voice asked loudly.

“Well, I have some sketchbook paper,” Marinette offered. “And a drawing pencil.”

Edwin nodded. “Perfect. Since your phone is dead,” he grabbed the proffered pencil and paper and scribbled something down before passing the paper to the other kids and then the adults. “We’re giving you our numbers so you can contact us whenever you need to. You’re under our protection now.”

Warmth filled Marinette’s heart. She had forgotten just how nice it was to have so many people adamantly on her side. Every Rogue in the room added their number to the list, as did every kid.

“Thank you, so much for the kindness you’ve shown me.”

Jonathan shook his head. “You showed us the kindness. We just reciprocated. Yes, most of us are villains, but most of us are also getting help for our mental health problems instead of letting it run rampant in the streets. Not many people recognize that we’re trying to be better. Not only did you do that, but you offered us easy solutions that would help make the world a better place using our talents. We owe you that kindness and more. You have the Rogues on your side now.”

Marinette grinned warmly at Jonathan Crane and the other adults in the room, before turning her eyes on the kids. “My class is going to the Gotham City Museum on Saturday. Maybe you’d like to come along, that way I can get to know you without having to ditch my class or be left behind again.”

They communicated silently, sharing looks that plainly spoke of years of familiarity. Allan smiled gently at the girl that had broken through his defenses. “I think we’d all like that.”

Bonus:

Just met #sunshineofgotham and I love her already. If anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in Gotham and then myself.

@Riddlemethis you promised you wouldn’t kill anyone anymore. Don’t break your promise.

@Riddlemethis Mood. Sunshine is a blessing to this pit. @FlyingGrayson was right when he said she was the #sunshineofgotham #whyisheright #notgonnaliveitdown


	12. Alix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry?
> 
> I got writer's block, but it cleared out today and I pumped this bad boy out  
Enjoy

Marinette had disappeared and Alix had wanted so desperately to go find her, but all three Wayne sons convinced her it would be a bad idea. The rain was too heavy for anyone to have any idea where she had gone and they had stayed put in the bus for a few hours, knowing it was too dangerous to be driving when you could barely see three feet in front of you. Jason had gone out, saying he knew the streets better than anyone and wouldn’t get in trouble. An hour later, the rain started to let up, and the bus was able to take everyone to their hotel. Lila had been weeping and wailing about her hair the ENTIRE time, and Alix was THIS close to ripping off the sausages and ramming them down the liar’s throat.

When they had gotten to the hotel, Lila and Alya and the rest of her servants went upstairs to help console the girl. Alix, Kim, Max, Marc, Juleka, and Nino had stayed down next to Tim and Dick, hoping for any news about their missing friend.

“Do you think Marinette will be alright?” Kim asked, worry heavy in his voice. Everyone else was just as worried, but Nino spoke up.

“I’m sure she will be. This is Marinette, after all. She somehow always lands on her feet. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s out there making friends with shopkeepers and mob bosses right now.”

They all gave a weak chuckle at that. Marinette just had something about her that made people want to be around her. With the exception of Lila and her cronies. It was then that Alya came down to talk to Dick. Alix glared at the girl as she ignored them all and instead focused on their new temporary guardian.

“Excuse me, Mr. Grayson. Lila needs organic sushi from a shop near the harbor. Its one of the few things that her grandmother made before she died. She’s had a hard day and needs the comfort food.”

_What?_ Alix could not believe her ears. Marinette was _missing_ and Alya cared more about how Lila was upset at being rained on? Oh no. This was not going to fly.

“Are you KIDDING me!!” Alix yells, getting into Alya’s face. “Is that really all you care about? _Marinette_ is missing!!”

Alya scoffed. “Really? Are you sure that she didn’t just run off to bring attention to herself? I mean, that’s all she does anymore. Just looks for attention.”

Alix saw red. “HOW! DARE! YOU! Marinette used to be your best friend, and now you don’t even care that she’s wandering the streets of the MOST DANGEROUS CITY IN THE WORLD!!”

“WELL SHE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE WANDERING OFF! SHE DOESN’T THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES AND ONLY DOES WHAT WOULD MAKE HER GET MORE ATTENTION!!”

“And who’s attention is she trying to get?” Max piped in. “Only the six of us are really considered her friends at this point, and the rest of you went off to take care of Lila who was out in the rain for about a minute. Whereas Marinette has been out there for nearly three hours.”

It was then that Dick came up to group, one hand grabbing Alix’s arm and pulling her away from Alya. “Enough, both of you. Marinette has been found and Jason is on his way to pick her up. In the meantime, just head up to your rooms. No one else is leaving tonight and that’s final. I don’t care if Lila’s grandmother’s ghost shows up demanding sushi from that shop. No one else is going out. The weather is too bad.”

Alya pouted, but obeyed, stalking over to the elevator and glaring at the other students on the way past. Alix ignored Dick’s order and instead turned to him.

“Marinette is really okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. Some friends of mine found her and took her in. She happened to mention my name, and they gave me a call. Apparently, the rain ruined Marinette’s phone, which was why she wasn’t able to contact any of us.”

Alix sighed in relief. Kim’s shoulders slumped and lost their tension, and Nino visibly relaxed at the news. “Good. Do you know when she’s gonna get here?”

Dick shook his head. “It all depends on the weather. Jay knows not to drive in these downpours, but he’s going to try to get her here before any more rain falls.”

The group nodded and after another order from Dick, went up to wait in the girls’ room for Marinette to get back. It was just over an hour later that the doorknob jiggled, and they heard voices on the other side of the door. Alix was up and over in a second, opening the door before Marinette even had her key card out. She looked surprised, but wrapped her arms around Alix after the shorter girl had barreled into her friend.

“Don’t _do_ that to us, Marinette,” Alix growled out, hugging Marinette, her worry and relief pouring into the embrace.

“I swear I didn’t mean to,” Marinette said. “The rain started, and I had to get my material out of the weather before it ruined $300 worth of cloth. And when I went to find you guys, it was raining so hard that I couldn’t see anything. I thought I heard one of you call my name, and I walked towards that and just kept walking. I somehow ended up near the Iceberg Lounge? Still not sure how that happened.”

Alix finally released Marinette, only for Nino to take her place, crushing the petite girl to him. Instead, the skater turned to see Jason standing out in the hallway, carrying three large bags full of material.

“Let me take thOse inside for her,” Alix said, grabbing the bags from him. “She’ll want to spread them out and make sure every inch is fine before she relaxes.”

Jason chuckled. “She was doing that the whole way here. I had to ask her to put them away. Now, there’s also a small plastic bag with her wet clothes that need to be dried. I can take it back to my place, or you guys can take them.”

Alix looked back at what little bit of Marinette was visible, since their other friends had joined in squeezing the life out of her. She noticed the big sweats and sweatshirt that she was wearing that definitely didn’t belong to Marinette. “I’ll take them. I’m sure she has a specific method to washing her clothes that none of us can even comprehend.”

With a nod, Jason handed over the smaller plastic bag that held obviously soaked clothes in it. Alix took it and turned towards the door. “Hey! Meathead! Come help me with these!”

Kim extracts himself from the pile and takes all of the bags of material, which were quite heavy, and wrestled them past the group and into the hotel room.

“Thank you for bringing her back, Jason. We were so worried about her.”

“No problem at all. And Sunshine was fine. She somehow got Gotham’s Rogues wrapped around her little finger.”

“That’s one of Marinette’s many talents. She makes friends wherever she goes. I’m still not sure how she does it, but her friends are always cool,” Alix smiles at Marinette, who was now talking animatedly with Max about some kind of technology one of the Gotham villains had created. “Anyway, we’ll take care of her from here.”

“Just let me give the squirt a hug and I’ll be on my way. Tim is staying with Dick tonight, so if you need anything, they’re right down the hall.” Jason went over and tapped Marinette on the shoulder, telling her that he was gonna head out. Marinette launched herself at Jason, squeezing him tightly and thanking him for bringing her back to the hotel. The second that Jason was in the elevator, Alix marched over to Marinette and hit the back of her head with the bag of wet clothes.

“HEY!”

Alix glared at Marinette. “No. Material. Is. Worth. Your. Life,” she said slowly and deliberately, hoping for some of it to sink in. “I’d rather you lose $300 dollars than find out that you were killed in a back alley in Gotham. Don’t do that to us again.”

Marinette rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly at Alix and the rest of her friends who still looked worried. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to get lost. I didn’t expect it to rain like that, and figured I’d just take care of my material and go back out to you guys.”

With another shake of her head, Alix hugged Marinette again. “Come on. You need to warm up properly and tell us all about those new friends that you’ve made.”

The girl’s eyes lit up brightly. “They’re childhood friends of Allan’s. You know the guy at Gotham Academy? His dad is Jonathan Crane. His friend, Edwin Nygma found me in the rain and took me to the Iceberg Lounge, where I met all the other villain’s kids and their parents. Harley and Ivy were really nice, too. Oh, and I invited the kids to join us at the Museum on Saturday, and they said they’d like that.”

Nino tugged on Marinette’s pigtail as they all pushed the beds together and piled on, cuddling Marinette and warming her up. “I’m excited to meet them.”

* * *

Alix loved chaos. So, it was natural that she loved the VKs, as they preferred to be called. Well, more specifically Edwin and Janus, as she had asked to be called today, were the chaotic VKs that her boyfriend had decided would bring the most chaos. And Kim was rarely wrong about causing mayhem. Poor Marinette had had to put a stop to several dares, including licking the battery of the batmobile, bungee jumping from the gargoyles on Wayne Tower, and kidnapping Killer Croc to give to Jagged Stone as a birthday gift.

Alix skated over to Marinette, who was leaning precariously on Max’s shoulder, watching Kim and Edwin talking excitedly, with an air of utter exhaustion. “Hey Mari. Maxie. Sorry they’re causing so much trouble,” she says with a small shrug.

“It’s fine. I’m just glad that they’re getting along so well. I was worried, especially with what Alya said when they first showed up.”

A half snicker, half growl left Alix at the mention of the resident liar’s best friend. As soon as she had seen the VKs, Alya had, very loudly, sneered, “I always knew Mari-trash would end up working with villains. Now go back to your evil lair and take your new sidekick with you. We only want friends of _heroes_ with us.” The hurt look on Allan’s, Edwin’s, Lyle’s, and even Janus’s faces was enough to snap Marinette. She stomped up to Alya, grabbed the back of her neck and forced the blogger to lean down so she was eye-level with Marinette. The proceeding screaming match was definitely worth the amount of footage on Alix’s phone that she promptly sent to Chloe.

“Drop it. It’s not worth fighting anymore,” Marinette said, nudging Alix’s knee with her toe. “Most of the class like them, and if Alya wants to pick a fight, she’d have to go through Dick to do so. Some of these kids are his friends’ children or nieces and nephews.”

“And by my calculations, the size of Mr. Grayson’s arm muscles must mean that he could crush any one of us easily. It would be wise to not contend with him,” Max grinned, pushing up his glasses and jerking his thumb over at Dick. Marinette looked over to see him talking with one of the security guards, smiling and joking around with him.

“Yeah, probably. Jason’s bigger though. I bet he could probably lift a car. By himself,” Marinette boasted. Jason was gone today, as was Tim, since there was some kind of family meeting or outing that was going on. Dick couldn’t go (or as he said, “escaped”) due to being a guardian to the Parisian class.

Alix rolled her eyes. “Puh-lease. Bruce is the most ripped out of all of them.”

“Jason is. I’ve seen them both, and Jason has more muscle.”  
“Clearly you’re blind, because Bruce is known to have mastered several martial art forms, and has frequently beaten body builders and strongmen in weight lifting.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know how you know that?”

“Nope,” Max answered for her. Alix just glared at her boyfriend before leaning forward and pecking his lips. The computer nerd blushed and hid his face in his hands, nearly dropping his phone in the process.

Marinette just giggled at the two, finally standing upright and wandering over to one of the displays. The Gotham City Museum was amazing, though Alix thought that the Louvre was better. Home was always better, after all, and she had grown up in the Louvre. But it was extremely interesting to learn about how Gotham was transformed from a small fishing village to the bustling city it was.

However, the Batman section was the section that everyone was looking forward to. It detailed the changes that were brought about when the masked vigilante, the very first, showed up in Gotham, taking down criminals and solving crimes faster and better than the police did.

“At the beginning, Batman was considered a highly dangerous criminal, and the police commissioner of the time was even putting out rewards on the capture of Batman. But after the first few cases with people like the Joker, Dr. Freeze, and Scarecrow, Commissioner Gordon was put in place, and the city started to work with Batman instead of trying to arrest him. Robin joined a few years later, and Gotham loves their Robin. Fun fact, one in twenty children who have been born in the past fifteen years, have been named Robin to honor the young hero.”

“Honor the traffic light, you mean,” Marinette muttered under her breath so only Alix and Nino could hear. They had to stifle their giggles so they wouldn’t interrupt the tour guide or distract anyone else. “I mean, at least put pants on a costume!”

The guide went through and explained the arrival of each vigilante, as well as the different theories surrounding them. The disappearance of the second Robin along with the appearance of Red Hood several years later, angry at Batman and a special bone to pick with the Joker. The Black Bat, who was currently out of country for a family matter, and how everyone suspected that she was the Batman’s biological child. Where the fourth male Robin came from and why he was so violent and angry. Alix only paid half attention to the theories, instead taking in the different recreations of the various suits the vigilantes had worn. The most beautiful sight in the world caught her attention over by the “Discowing” suit.

Marinette had a look of pure horror on her face, staring up at the worst suit Alix had ever seen (and that included what Kim tried to make for a school dance). And Alix couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. Dick, however, was cringing at the sight of the infamous suit, and subtly trying to move the tour guide on. Interesting.

“What. Is. That?” Marinette asked, her voice increasing an octave with each word. Alix winced at the shrill note, but skated over anyway, followed by the VKs, who were all grinning knowingly, and the rest of the class that believed Marinette, who were all eager to watch Marinette destroy the creator of the Discowing suit.

“Umm, it was in style then, so it seemed pretty cool,” Dick said weakly. “Looking at it now, though, it is really awful and terrible.”

“Terrible? Terrible doesn’t even begin to describe this monstrosity!” Marinette shrieked before Nino clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Easy, Nette. We’re in a museum and the tour guide is still talking. You can pick the suit apart later, but for now, let’s just go back to the group.”

“Burn it. I want to burn it,” the designer muttered as she turned to follow Nino back to the group.

“I’ll help you,” Edwin said cheerfully, skipping along backwards next to Marinette. “We can sneak into Batman’s secret headquarters and burn the original.”

Allan reached over and smacked the back of Edwin’s head, before taking Lyle’s hand and marching ahead. Janus was detailing how she would go about breaking into the vigilante hideout, while Max was quoting statistics on the likelihood of each plan working. Alix pulled up various pictures of Nightwing in the Discowing suit and nearly crowed in delight. The young hero had had a mullet to go with the monstrosity of a suit. Marinette was going to have an aneurism. And Alix couldn’t wait to see the explosion. It was going to be glorious.

“For the last bit of our tour, Mr. Wayne has asked that we instruct you on basic safety measures that every person in Gotham should employ. After all, this city is dangerous and we want you to be safe while enjoying the many things we have to offer. If you’ll follow me to the Demonstration Room, please.”

The class followed the tour guide dutifully, but not without a lot of talking. Mainly from Lila and Alya.

“Why did we come to Gotham anyway, if it’s so dangerous?” Lila asked.

“Yeah! Who decided it would be a good idea to go on vacation to the most dangerous city in the world? Oh wait, it was Marinette who picked here,” Alya sneered. “It was Marinette’s fault that they found themselves in a city so dangerous, that they had to constantly have a buddy with them. A place where the police got involved if a student was left behind _one time_, and it wasn’t even Madame Bustier’s fault.”

“Actually, Alya,” Max piped up. “Marinette submitted the paper to five competitions across the globe, three of which we won. We all voted on which city to go to, if you don’t recall. And I believe you wanted to come to Gotham to help Lila reunite with her “Dami-bear”.”

“Oh whatever,” Alya scoffed. “Marinette rigged it anyway. Why do you think we haven’t seen any of the Waynes yet? She definitely sabotaged Lila’s chances to reconnect with Damian. She’s just jealous of how many famous people Lila knows and wants to take all the fame for herself.”

“OH YOU—” Alix started, but Marinette grabbed her hand, shaking her head.

“Not here. Not now. We don’t want to get kicked out. And you know that you’ll get in trouble for starting a fight in the museum. It’s not worth it,” she hissed at Alix.

Alix growled and stalked past the girls, fists clenched and breaths coming out in short bursts. She wanted so badly to punch that _perfect little reporter_ in her nose and hopefully slam some sense into the girl while she’s at it.

Max followed his girlfriend and took her hand, squeezing it gently and encouraging her fingers to uncurl. Alix flashed a grateful smile at him, and squeezed back.

“One day. One day soon, she’ll get her dues,” Alix vowed.

“—and maybe Lila will be able to see Damian, while we’re here in Gotham!” Rose squeaked, talking to Mylene and causing Alix to snort. Yet another lie that was sure to be debunked at some point on this vacation. One would hope at least.

“Just down this hallway and the second door on the left,” the tour guide called, herding the students out of the Hall of Heroes.

Marinette was furiously sketching something in her book. And it was really furious. Alix figured that she was redesigning Nightwing’s suit, by the glowering looks the girl sent back at the case. Watching as Nino took Marinette’s elbow to guide her away from running into things, Alix turned back to her boyfriend and entered the Demonstration Room.

“Alright students! There are many things that every local Gothamite knows in order to stay alive. Various methods of fighting and self-defense, Dos and Do Nots, what areas to avoid, and most of all, how to survive a villain attack,” the tour guide said once everyone was inside the presentation room. It was a large open area with a table at the front next to a screen. A power point presentation is pulled up and ready to go, and the kids all gather around and find a seat to sit in. Alix elbows her way up to the front, taking a seat in between Kim and Edwin.

On the table at the front, there’s a small drawstring bag, the contents spread out across the table. There was a small first aid kit, a gas mask, a map of the city, a police scanner, and a Gotham Guidebook. Several emergency supplies as well. Like those metal blankets that people use in the movies after a car crash or something. It was a survival pack, she realized. Though she had no idea why a gas mask was needed. Did they have really bad air in Gotham?

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Lila and Alya were whispering again, eyeing the VKs distastefully, as though they were mud on their shoes. Alix leveled a glare at them and linked her arm through Edwin’s startling the boy a bit. “I apologize for the floosies over there. They’re not very smart,” she whispered.

“Don’t apologize for them. You’re not responsible for their small minds,” he responded, more serious than she had seen him act that day.

She stifled a snort. Small minds indeed.

“We have a couple employees that will be helping today. Now, first, we will go over basic rules that will help you stay safe and enjoy your stay in Gotham.” Alix turned her attention back to the tour guide. Really they should have gotten this lecture the first day in Gotham rather than after a week. In fact, Alix vaguely remembered a schedule that was proposed by Marinette where they toured Gotham City Museum on the first day. But that schedule had quickly been replaced by the current one.

_Always listen to Marinette, _Alix thought. _She’s right 90% of the time._

As soon as the discussion about the rules of safety finished, the tour guide picked up the survival bag.

“Before you leave today, you will each receive a Gotham Grab-Bag. Each one contains basic supplies needed to survive any emergency situation you might find yourself in.”

Alix raised her hand, glad that she could get her question answered.

“Why do you need a gas mask?”

“To keep this from happening!” an overly cheerful, nasally voice shouted as a figure dropped to the ground in front of the tour guid and sprayed something in her face.

Hysterical laughter broke out of the tour guide, and Alix only caught a glimpse of a purple suit before Edwin was shoving her towards Kim and clearing a path through the chairs to the doors. He shoved Nathaniel in the same direction as well, while the other VKs started forming a line in front of the French students.

Kim scooped Alix up onto his shoulder, Max on the other as he waded through their classmates to get to the door. Alix looked around for Marinette, but the girl was lost in the pandemonium, and the others in their group of friends had almost made it to the doorway.

“GO GO GO!!!” Nathaniel shouted, shoving past Kim and nearly making him drop Max and Alix.

Screams pierced the air as the hysterical laughter came to an abrupt halt.

Alix couldn’t look back. She didn’t want to know what had caused the woman to stop laughing. “Please,” she muttered, though she didn’t know what she was asking for. An easy escape? The woman to be alright? Kim to go faster? She didn’t know.

From her vantage point, Alix was able to see two of her classmates slip out of the room through the doors, but then two massive thugs blocked both exits, one of them holding a kicking and screaming Adrien and a pale Nathaniel.

The thug threw both of them back into the room, and Adrien crashed into Juleka and Kim, taking them all down in a pile.

“Ow,” gasped out Alix, the wind having been knocked out of her. She tried to wiggle out of the pile of her classmates, but Adrien was too heavy for her to shove out of the way.

The screams were silenced.

A chill filled the air, and Alix froze her movements.

“Going so soon?”

The most horrifying face Alix had ever seen filled her vision. Pure white face. Horrifying smile stretched out across his cheeks. Red painted lips. Green shaggy, stringy, greasy hair. But the eyes. The eyes were filled with madness and death.

“Why don’t you stay awhile, hear a few jokes, laugh a little?” The smile got wider and the voice, while keeping its jolly tone, turned menacing.

Joker.

#onlyingotham do you see citizens go about their business while a robber is running down the streets. Only stepped out of the guy’s way until one dude just stuck his foot out and tripped the robber. Police got him soon after

#arkhambreakout Looks like Joker’s loose again. Stay safe folks!

How to survive Gotham for Dummies

-Never go anywhere at night

-Never go anywhere by yourself. Large groups are less likely to get attacked.

-Keep your money tucked in hard-to-reach places

-Never call attention to yourself unless there is an emergency. Flaunting wealth or importance will get you killed or taken hostage

-Always carry a gas mask on your person

-Know the different Rogues by sight and which ones are the most dangerous.

-Stay updated on current Gotham News in order to hear of potential threats

-Stay alert and aware of potential threats always

-Whenever you go anywhere, always look for exits and escape routes. Never go anywhere where you can get trapped.

THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST


	13. Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joker's attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks so much to my wonderful friend Elle who helped me figure out what I want to have happen in the next few scenes. I was seriously stuck, and bored of Miraculous, so thank you so much Elle!!!
> 
> ((Sorry everyone for taking so long. Writer's block and a complete disinterest in all things Miraculous Ladybug took me down, but the next chapter is out))

The Joker was here. Dick cursed violently as he tried to get the kids to the doors, but the clown’s two hulking thugs blocked the doors and prevented anyone from leaving. Half of the students ended up in one big pile, the other half cowering in whatever cover they could find, and the tour guide was lying in a puddle of their own blood, courtesy of Joker.

He couldn’t do much as Dick Grayson. Not like he could as Nightwing, but he had to do something. As subtly as he could, Dick activated the emergency beacon on his wristwatch, knowing that his family would mobilize as quickly as possible. In the meantime, he had to keep the kids from dying. They were his top priority.

The VKs were handling themselves remarkably well. Joker had pushed them to the side in his eagerness to address the pileup on the floor, and they were helping each other back up. He wouldn’t need to worry about them. Lila and Alya were huddled in one corner, Alya standing protectively over her friend and glaring at the Joker with moronic bravery.

_She’s going to get herself and her friends killed if she tries to do anything heroic_, Dick thought, hoping and praying that Alya wouldn’t do anything stupid. Alix, Kim, Max, Adrien, Nathaniel, and Juleka were all lying in the pile and were in the most danger, since Joker was standing over them. Ivan held Mylene and Rose in his arms, trying to soothe both girls and keep them from drawing Joker’s attention. Sabrina hid behind a stack of chairs.

_That’s twelve accounted for. Where’s Marc, Nino, and Marinette?_

Nino, he found checking on the tour guide.

“What are you doing?” Dick hissed, crouching down next to the young man.

“I figured if I got to her soon enough, I might have been able to save her,” Nino whispered back. “I have some first aid training, and I know if you can stop the bleeding and turn the victim on their side, they might not choke on their blood. But she’s gone.”

Dick placed his hand on Nino’s shoulder and tried to give him a comforting look. “Stay down and stay quiet. Don’t do anything to attract Joker’s ire. He’s not like the other Rogues who can be reasoned with. He will kill you.”

“I know, dude,” Nino murmured and hunkered down further.

_Two more kids to find. Where are Marc and Marinette?_

“Well, aren’t you Frenchies so depressing! Not a single smile out of all of you. Buut, a little birdie told me that there’s a new girlie in Gotham whose smile lights up the city!” Joker crowed. “Where’s this Sunshine of Gotham?”

_Uh oh!  
_

Dick’s eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of Marinette. He couldn’t see her, though he did finally catch sight of Marc slipping behind the stack of chairs to comfort Sabrina. That left one student unaccounted for. The one student that kept disappearing in Gotham, and the one student that he was seriously concerned for at the moment.

“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Joker sang. He jumped away from the pile of kids and landed back on the table.

Dick shoved Nino underneath the table to give him some kind of barrier between the kid and the clown. He stood up, drawing Joker’s attention rather than let it linger on the students.

“Hello there, Dickie boy!” Joker trained his unnerving eyes on him, unnatural smile stretching across his cheeks. “I didn’t expect to see you here! But then again, this precious Ray of Sunshine is a friend of yours, right? Any idea where she is?”

The threat within that statement sent a shiver up Dick’s spine. He didn’t know why Joker decided to attack the French students nor did he know why he was fixated on Marinette. But Dick knew that he would never let this crazy clown touch Marinette. He would rather die first.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Dick snarled. “But I’m sure the police are on the way and have already alerted Batman. You won’t be out of Arkha—”

Dick crashed backwards into the wall, a hand automatically coming up to cradle his aching jaw. He looked up as Joker lowered his hand, a dangerous light glinting in his eyes. “Batman won’t stop me this time. I know your precious Sunshine is here, and I want her now!”

Distantly, he was aware that the students were crowding as far away from Joker and the two thugs as they possibly could. The group that had crashed in a heap had finally gotten up, and he could see Alix checking them all over for injuries. Ivan had shuffled Mylene and Rose over to Alya and Lila, so he was protecting all four girls instead of just the two.

The VKs were standing between Joker and the French students. Allan had his hands behind his back, and Dick felt a surge of hope flow through him. If Allan was texting his Pa, maybe Batman and the rest of the family would have some heavy-hitting backup against Joker. Probably Ivy and Harley, if he had to take a guess.

“Well? WHERE IS SHE?” Joker bellowed, getting right in Dick’s face. The madman grabbed Dick’s chin with an iron grip and forced him to look directly in his poison green eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Dick snarled back, refusing to be cowed.

“Marinette’s not here!”

Dick closed his eyes, really hoping that he did not just hear Lila say that.

Almost comically slow, Joker’s head turned to fix his horrific stare on the class liar. The smile stretched across his cheeks again, practically splitting his face. His grip disappeared from Dick’s chin. “What do you mean, she’s not here?” he sang in an overly sweet and sickening voice.

Lila squeaked and hid behind Alya, her whole body trembling in fear.

“Who is this Marinette? Is she the Sunshine in Gotham that the whole city is talking about?”

_Please don’t say anything else! Please don’t say anything else!_ Dick prayed in his mind.

“I don’t know why people are calling _her_ the Sunshine of Gotham when she’s nothing but a bully,” Alya spat out. “But maybe it’s because she’s a bully that this stupid city likes her so much. If you want her, please take her. No one else wants her around!”

The poisonous smile stretched even wider, if that was possible. “Please,” he crooned, shoving Lyle into Manny’s arms, “tell me more about her. Like where she might be!”

“I’ll tell you where she is,” Alya snarled. “She snuck out of here like the coward that she is. I watched her leave us to save herself.”

“PUNCH! JUDY!” Joker bellowed, turning to face the two thugs.

Both giants shuffled their feet awkwardly, refusing to look at their employer. One of them gulped and mumbled, “One girl got away.”

With a wordless snarl, Joker launched himself at the henchman, punch after punch crashing into him.

Dick pulled Nino out from under the table and ushered him over to the rest of the students. “Allan, do we have help coming?”

“Pa is sending Auntie Harley over immediately. Auntie Pam is busy with Auntie Selina, so Riddler and Scarecrow might be joining us instead.”

“That’s good to hear. Harley will be invaluable in the fight and I know she’s been looking forward to beating up Joker,” Dick said. He did a quick head count. They were still missing Marinette, but it sounded like she managed to get out before the rest of them were locked in the room.

“I can take care of Joker,” Adrien growled, lifting his hand up. A silver ring glinted in the light.

“Absolutely not,” Dick retorted. “None of you will confront Joker. He is deadly and won’t hesitate to kill you. You saw what he did to the tour guide.”

The students glanced over at the table, and several of them gulped.

“But I can—”

“No! You confront Joker, and you will end up killing yourself and the rest of us. We’re in Gotham. We’re not in France where the heroes fix everything. You make a mistake, there is no second chance. There is no coming back!” Alix snarled at Adrien.

“Mar—i—nette!” Joker sung, recapturing the attention of the class.

Dick shifted so that he was in between the students and Joker once again. He just needed to keep them alive for a little bit longer and Batman would swoop in to take over. Just a little longer.

With a final kick, Joker sent his thug through the door, snapping it off of its hinges and showering the hallway with splinters and debris. The henchman (Dick could never tell the difference between Punch and Judy) slid down the wall and sat, dazed and unfocused.

“Come out, come out, little Marinette! I just want to play!” Joker sung, stepping over the debris and sticking his head out of the door.

Dick held his breath, hoping that Marinette had left the building when she had the chance and hadn’t stuck around. _I know you’re Ladybug, but you can’t be Ladybug in Gotham. You need to be Marinette and you need to get out!_

The last thing he was expecting was to see Joker stumble backwards, his nose bleeding profusely.

#onlyingotham is it possible to see @HarleyHarHar racing past you with a giant mallet and a glare and not be worried for your safety. #goharley #beatupthejokerforme #harleyforthewin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did get a few people saying that they can't wait for Marinette to be friends with the Joker. In my mind, Joker is irredeemable and will not be getting any kind of redemption in this story. The other villains that I've mentioned are a lot easier for me to redeem. Harley is tragic, and since she broke from Joker, she has only done heists rather than murder. Ivy doesn't kill, though she will drug people to get them to do what she tells them to do. Scarecrow did kill, but since he's been on his new medications, he has not had a single relapse nor desire to hurt anyone. Riddler just wants people to like his riddles and puzzles. His games were dangerous, but he never killed anyone. Freeze stole jewels with the use of his ice powers in order to help pay for his research to save his wife. He didn't kill anyone either. Penguin and Two-Face are on the fence for me. They are dangerous, and have killed knowingly and without the defense of insanity. Marinette admires Harvey Dent's work as a lawyer before his accident and she knows that all of Penguin's resources could be used for good and would be more beneficial to Penguin that way. Ivy, Harley, Freeze, Scarecrow, Riddler, and Selina are redeemable in my mind. Joker is absolutely not.
> 
> Also, Punch and Judy look like this in my mind, based on one of the shows that I've watched. https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Punch_and_Judy_(The_Batman)


End file.
